Consequences
by Nika Dixon
Summary: Jen finds more than she bargains for, off-world with Evan's team. Team Fic. Drama/Angst/Humor/Suspense/Romance. It's all here - and so is everyone else! Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: ** All hail, fair R/K shippers! As promised, the next epic! This story takes place after those fated events of Lost Tribe. Its going to be angsty, funny, dramatic, and suspenseful (of course... you know me too well!) It is a team fic based on the consequences of Jen's confession/admission to Ronon, and the fallout thereafter. I present this in the hope it will bring squeee hugs to all of you who broke your remote by chucking it at the TV last week. :) I'm writing it quickly (under direct pressure from the gun wielding plot bunnies) so any typos or mistakes are purely mine.  
_

_Hugs and kisses to all! _

_- Nika_

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* * *

_May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far._.

Somehow, the old Irish saying her Great Aunt Mabel displayed on a plaque over her kitchen window wasn't so hard to understand these days.

Especially the ending.

Because time travel not withstanding… Jen was one DeLorean short of stopping a slow slide into insanity.

She'd tried just about everything she could think of to bury herself. Paperwork. Filing. Inventory. Reorganizing her office. Moving the furniture around in her room. Moving the furniture back. Walking. Hiding. Finding out where random city corridors went.

Time was passing with excruciating slowness, and the daylight hours were blurring together. She'd given up the day shift in lieu of the late night blackness, choosing to hide in the empty infirmary while the city slept. Then when the sun rose, she'd bury herself beneath her comforter and hide from everything else.

And no one seemed to even notice.

It felt rather appropriate… and not entirely undeserved.

She'd certainly stuck her foot in it this time. Oh sure, she'd made plenty of social blunders in the past… and several political blunders as well. Each time she'd been embarrassed for a few days - with people teasing her needlessly - but then eventually someone else would mess up and everyone would move on, thankfully leaving her behind.

But this time she didn't have anyone to make fun of her, and the embarrassment wasn't going away. She'd dug this hole all by her lonesome.

With a shake of her head she glanced quickly at her watch, confirming the ten minute window before her meeting with Mr. Woolsey.

She hesitated in the doors of the cafeteria, hoping it was still early enough to be empty. She was halfway to the buffet line when she heard Rodney's anguished protest at something someone had just said.

She winced internally, her step faltering, but she was too far in to turn back now. Grabbing a tray she quickly selected a muffin and a bottle of water. When she turned, he eyes caught, then quickly passed by the table in the back corner, it's occupants leaning on elbows or slouched in chairs as they finished their breakfast.

She turned her head before Rodney's hand left the table, praying it looked like she hadn't noticed. It was awkward enough just thinking about them, there was no way she was going to be able to face them in person. Any of them.

She'd made such a fool of herself.

But it wasn't without help, damn it!

Rodney just had to go and tell her he loved her. Not that he was completely himself when he did it, but it was still difficult enough to deal with when she worked so closely with him, and she couldn't ask him outright if he really meant it. Because if he _had_ meant it… well that just made things go from embarrassing to awkward. _Had_ she thought of him that way? _Did_ she? Well… he was certainly nice when he tried to be… and… he _was_ funny… although not always intentionally. And she really did think he was a great guy… but… friendship, absolutely… More? She didn't know. And every time she saw him now, his confession seemed to pop right into her mind and she had no idea how to talk to him without feeling… off kilter.

And then Ronon had gone all super-protective the past few weeks… Not that she didn't appreciate the sparring lessons… and she'd meant what she said about enjoying his company on the Daedalus. She had. Enjoyed it. He was… interesting. Not like other men. Different. She didn't mind different. _She_ was different. For all the growling he was certainly smarter than he let on. And his sarcasm was really quite funny if you listened… But then in the middle of everything it had all gone to hell… and apparently so had her mind.

She already had half a dozen Marine's who were regular annoyances. Overly friendly? Overly attentive? There was a huge ratio difference in males to females in the city… and it was to be expected she supposed. She wasn't military so technically she was free goods. It was worse with the new recruits, but the regulars seemed to be permanently stationed in the city. There weren't any rules about dating civilians, and well, she supposed she _was_ an unattached civvie on their radar. I didn't make dealing with them any easier… but she'd been managing just fine.

Until now.

With Rodney's confession, and the signals she was reading from Ronon, on top of everything else... Well, damn it, she'd panicked… Panicked. For lack of a better word.

Completely panicked.

She'd wanted to tell him it was a bad time and she wasn't really up for company for dinner. But it stuck in her throat. She'd wanted to tell him she didn't expect him to keep following her around. They were back in the city… she couldn't really get into any trouble here… She wanted to tell him he didn't have to feel obligated to keep her company any more. She wasn't expecting him to be her bodyguard. He didn't need to shadow her. He probably had better things to do.

Seriously, how hard could it have been to just say it?

_I just want you to know… that you don't have to feel obligated to hang out with me. _

_I just want you to know… that I appreciate everything you've done, but I'm okay now. _

_I just want you to know… that I'm sorry I didn't listen to you up there. _

_I just want you to know…_

A dozen different answers popped into her head but in the end she'd just come up with the same old lie she'd been using since she'd taken her first internship.

_I just want you to know... that I'm interested in someone else._

It seemed to work with the Marines… you'd think it would work with intense Satedans.

Nope.

Because he _wasn't_ interested in her.

He was just being nice.

A friend.

Something she had too few of… and now one less of because she'd pushed him away. His reaction had pretty much taken all the oxygen out of her lungs.

And then he'd left.

Just turned… and left.

Completely gone.

It wasn't what she wanted at all.

And now…

Hell, she could probably justify it a hundred ways to Sunday but she still couldn't believe the luck… or lack of it… to be faced now with SGA-1. If Ronon had mentioned anything about her misconception… or Rodney said anything about his confession… or… or if they'd by chance discussed her _together_… how was she supposed to be able to look any of them in the face again? She'd worked here long enough to know how the rumor mill operated… she'd just never considered herself locker-room material before. If Ronon and Rodney discussed it, then John would know, and Teyla would know, and pretty soon the whole damn base would know.

The horrific thought that her - albeit completely non-existent - private life was being discussed over everyone's breakfast turned her stomach. Heat rose to her face as she turned back to the buffet line and quickly set her tray back onto the pile. Snatching the water and the muffin she hurried out of the mess hall, hoping Mr. Woolsey would be early. Perhaps he wouldn't mind if she hid in his office while she ate.

* * *

"Jennifer certainly seems… distracted lately." Teyla watched with interest as their CMO change her mind and took her food to go.

"Hadn't noticed." John shrugged, glancing over his shoulder at the disappearing ponytail. When he turned back he caught the end of a glaring match between Ronon and Rodney. Something was definitely up between these two lately, but neither man would admit to any wrongdoing by the other. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but it had damn well better not affect their ability to work together.

"Perhaps I will talk to her." Teyla suggested, more to herself than to the others at the table.

"Couldn't hurt." John answered automatically, noting the frown that appeared on Ronon's face as the Satedan killed a chunk of scrambled egg with his fork.

Rodney winced as Ronon's knife then clanged against the plate.

"Okay you two." John announced, exasperated. "Out with it."

"Out with what?" Rodney looked up, wide eyed.

"With whatever you two are up to." John stared pointedly from one to the other.

"Who says we're up to anything!" Rodney protested. "At least, _I'm_ not up to anything. I don't know about Rambo over here. And why would you automatically think there's something going on? It's not like-"

"Because, McKay…" John interrupted. "You babble when you're trying to hide something."

"I do not babble." Rodney crossed his arms.

"Do too." Ronon growled around a mouthful of food.

"Do not."

John rolled his eyes and glanced sideways at Teyla, who shrugged.

"Fine." John pushed his chair back and picked up his empty tray. "But whatever it is… work it out. I don't need you two getting distracted next time we're off world while someone's trying to kill us."

"Like that would make a difference." Rodney huffed.

"All I'm saying is, whatever you broke… fix it." Then he pointed directly at Ronon. "And no blood." With a quick shake of his head, John spun on his heel and left.

With his chin still lowered, Ronon glared at Rodney through his dreads. "No promises."

Rodney blanched.

"Ronon…" Teyla chastised.

Ronon shrugged. "Fine. No blood."

"Oh come on!" Rodney glared at Ronon. "We agreed…" Rodney snapped his mouth shut and glanced sideways at Teyla, who was looking at him from beneath raised eyebrows.

"You agreed to what, Rodney?" She asked, turning from him to Ronon.

"Nothing." Rodney exhaled, standing up and retrieving his tray. "Nothing at all." The scientist quickly dropped his tray off and exited the mess hall.

"Ronon." Teyla turned towards the Satedan. "_What_ have you and Rodney gotten yourselves into?"

Ronon scraped his fork across his empty plate before dropping it on to the side of the tray. "Nothing."

"Ronon." Teyla tried again, her fingers landing firmly across his forearm.

"Teyla." He stared across the table at her and she was surprised at the anger he was fighting to control. "It's nothing, okay? Nothing." Then he dragged his arm away and stood up, taking his tray and leaving her alone at the table.

"Nothing is not something, Ronon." She stared after his retreating backside, her eyes narrowing. "And _this_ is definitely something."


	2. Chapter 2

"And have they cleared it?" Jen asked, flipping through the pages of the report.

"Yes." Richard leaned forward, threading his fingers together and placing his forearms on the desk. "Major Whalen's team confirms there are no… creatures… and no sign of Michael."

"So it's basically an empty lab." Jen surmised, quickly scanning the details of the lab's layout, noting the descriptions of the usual computer type console, and empty pods that seemed to signify one of Michael's abandoned labs. They'd found no explosives, and had basically cleared the small bunker of everything but the computer system.

"Yes." Richard nodded. "By all accounts it appears to have been abandoned. However…" He hesitated. "We do not know if Michael left anything useful behind."

"I need to know what's on that computer." Jen looked up, her eyes locking onto the base commanders. "If he's left behind _any_ research, it could prove to be key to preventing him from making any more hybrids."

"As I've said before, Dr. Keller, I don't believe our time is well spent chasing Michael around the galaxy."

"I'm not talking about chasing Michael." Jen closed the folder and set it back on his desk. "I'm taking about saving potentially millions of lives. If there's _any_ chance that Michael has left some of his research, then I need to get my hands on it. He didn't complete his task with the Hoffan drug, and his attempt to keep Torren for god-knows-what evil, failed. He's hiding somewhere waiting for the next opportunity to come after us. And when he does, we need to be ready. That research could be the key to saving us all."

Richard sighed. "I had a feeling you were going to say that."

"I would like to take a team and collect what I can before it's destroyed."

"_You_… want to take a team?"

Jen sighed. Why was it everyone was always so shocked when she wanted to go off world these days?

"Yes, me." She exclaimed. "Besides Carson, who's currently busy on 289, I'm the best person suited for the job. No one else knows Michael's research better than I do. If we're going to get anything out of it, I need to be there."

Richard stared at her for a brief moment, searching for answers in her expression.

She stared back.

"Very well." He finally nodded. "I will have Colonel Sheppard-"

"No!" Jen exclaimed, instantly regretting the volume with which it came out.

Woolsey blinked.

"I mean… no." She quickly corrected the volume down to a normal level, and fought to smile over her horror at the thought of having to go off-world with both Rodney and Ronon. "I… um… not Colonel Sheppard."

"Is there a problem?" He asked, leaning forward.

"No." She shook her head quickly, taking a deep breath to make sure her mouth said what she needed to say and not some nervous babble. "There's just… um… no need to bother the Colonel with… with this. They… uh… they just came back from 119. They deserve a rest. One of the other teams would be… would be… acceptable."

"But wouldn't Dr. McKay be better suited to deal with any potential mishaps regarding the database? It seems likely that Michael wouldn't take too kindly to someone trying to extract information from his system. There would be fail-safes, I'm sure."

"No." She shook her head quickly, and cleared her throat. "You said yourself that SGA-5 already cleared the facility, and Dr. McKay has kindly shown me how to bypass Michael's firewall. No need to bother him with something so mundane. He has… they all have… better things to do I'm… um… I'm sure."

Jen tried very hard not to squirm under the directness of Richard's gaze. He could see right through her, she was sure of it.

"And… Major Lorne?" Woolsey suggested, most likely expecting her to come up with some excuse why she didn't want Evan's team either.

She smiled with relief, and straightened her shoulders. "That would be fine. Yes. Thank you."

Richard angled his head, taking a few moments to ponder his decision, making her tense with the trials of not squirming. "Very well, Dr. Keller." He finally nodded. "I will arrange for Major Lorne and his team to escort you. Tomorrow morning, oh-eight-hundred?"

"Great." Jen nodded and quickly stood up, turning towards the glass doors of his office. They slid open silently and she moved out onto the balcony.

"Dr. Keller?" Richard called her back.

She turned towards him, facing him through the open doorway. He pulled his glasses off, and inspected them briefly before returning them to his face. She briefly wondered if he was going to change his mind and insist she go with the Colonel's team.

Instead he simply nodded. "Do be careful."

"Careful is my middle name." She joked, relief flooding her body.

Richard Woolsey didn't appear to be amused.

* * *

Jen rubbed her nose, trying to get at the telltale tickle. With the addition of the dryness in the back of her throat, she easily confirmed the beginnings of the cold the Daedalus crew brought back with them when they arrived two days ago.

She hated being sick… but in her current state of mind, hiding in her room with the sniffles for a couple of days seemed a worthy trade. If it held true, by tomorrow morning she'd be a full blown snot factory, and by tomorrow night she'd be well ensconced in Nyquil-medicated dreams. She'd have to borrow a couple of books from Laura to tide her over. Maybe even a few DVD's.

"Doc." Evan called, interrupting her wishful thinking. Leading his team across the floor of the gate room he stopped beside her.

Jen smiled and nodded. "Major. Glad you could join me." She nodded quickly around at Lieutenants Williams and Edison, and Captain Sanchez. "Gentlemen."

Evan eyed the knapsack Jen was slinging over her shoulders. "That all you're brining?"

Jen shrugged and adjusted the straps. "Computer and standard medical supplies. Why? Is there something I'm forgetting?"

"No." Evan laughed. "Just used to Rodney's instance on bringing… well… everything."

"Ah. Well I'm hoping I'm only going to need the computer, today."

"With your luck?" Evan teased.

"Oh, hush." Jen frowned, then laughed. She waved to Chuck. "Dial the gate, please?"

With a nod, Chuck triggered the dialing sequence. As they waited for the wormhole to stabilize, Jen sneezed twice against her shoulder.

Evan grinned. "Getting a cold, Doc?"

Jen rolled her eyes. "Half the crew of the Daedalus is out with it. The other half is just getting over it. It's already making the rounds here."

"Do doctors really make the worst patients?"

"Absolutely." Jen grinned.

"Good to know." Evan stepped back, making Jen laugh.

The wormhole solidified and Evan nodded towards Williams, who moved in front with Edison to take the point. Sanchez fell in behind, leaving Evan beside Jennifer. With a nod to the control room they crossed the event horizon and disappeared.

* * *

"Colonel Sheppard." Richard greeted, standing up from behind his desk and waving John into the room. "Please, have a seat."

John frowned as Richard moved to close the door. He hadn't realized there was need for any kind of private conversation, but with Woolsey, you never knew what was expected. The impromptu meeting request first thing this morning had taken him by surprise. Woolsey rarely did anything without booking it into his schedule first. This was either something bad… or… something bad.

John flopped into the chair and waited for Woolsey to return to the other side of his desk. Richard sat stiffly, pulled off his glasses, wiped them quickly, then returned them to his face. He nodded at John. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"What'd they do this time?" John muttered, slouching down in the chair.

"Who?" Richard frowned, shaking his head.

"Whoever did whatever to have you calling me in for a private meeting?"

"Ah." Richard nodded. "Well. I'm not entirely sure anyone's done anything. That's why you're here."

John nodded, then shook his head, completely confused.

Richard cleared his throat. "Colonel. I am not usually one to meddle in the personal matters of my staff. However, on certain occasions, personal matters can bleed into professional ones, as I'm sure you understand."

John waited, wondering where the hell this was going.

Woolsey took his silence as agreement and continued. "Something has come to my attention that requires your… insight."

"_My_ insight." John repeated.

Richard nodded. "The subject may be delicate but as I said, when personal lines cross professional ones, it is my duty as base commander to-"

"Just… tell me which Marine did what to which scientist, or vice versa, and I'll go kick the appropriate ass." John frowned.

Richard leaned forward in his chair and looked pointedly at John. "Is there… any reason I should know about which would have Doctor Keller purposely avoiding _your_ team?"

"Is there… what?" John frowned and sat forward. "No. What do you mean… _avoid_?"

"I mean… avoid. Not want to be with. Purposely ignoring."

"I'm aware of what the word _means_." John interrupted. "What I want to know is what _you_ mean."

John's spine straightened as he listened to Woolsey's explanation of his conversation with Jenifer the day before. She'd demanded to go to the planet herself, and had then specifically requested a team other than his. And it wasn't for any known medical problem. Sure, he'd skimmed the request she'd submitted and Woolsey had signed, for Evan's team to escort 'a medical officer' to MX3-246 to download the data drive from Michael's abandoned lab. But what he _hadn't_ known was that the medical officer was their CMO. And what he _hadn't_ known was that she'd turned _him_ down.

Or more appropriately, she'd turned his _team_ down.

For no apparent reason.

It wasn't like her to do anything without speaking to him first. If there was a problem, she should have come to him. She always had before. So why not now? What changed?

"Colonel?" Woolsey interrupted John's reflection.

John stood up and turned towards the door. "I have no idea." The door hissed open in front of him. "But I'm going to find out."

"Colonel?" Woolsey called after him.

John hesitated and stopped, shoving down the anger at having to deal with all the corporate pomp that Woolsey thrived on. He probably forgot to bow before he left. With a sigh he turned around to face Richard, who'd moved to stand in his doorway.

"See to it you deal with this matter _quickly_." Richard requested. "We have enough… external conflict to deal with on a daily basis. We don't need internal friction as well."

With a nod John turned on his heel and crossed the balcony, his hand moving to his com.

Time to get some answers.


	3. Chapter 3

The sky swirled dark and low above their heads as they skirted their way out of the tiny village. It had taken close to forty minutes at a reasonably brisk pace to reach the small hamlet. They'd followed a thin and twisted path as it wound around trees and moss-topped boulders. Then, after stopping to check in with the local villagers, the team made their way down another winding, wooded trail towards a narrow, rocky gorge. The cave they were looking for was located in a cavern beside a low flowing waterfall.

"You pack an umbrella in there, Doc?" Evan stared up at the heavy gray clouds passing above the wind-whipped leaves. A long, low rumble of thunder echoed through the thick foliage. The branches above swayed dangerously, but the air at ground level was thick and static.

"Nope." Jen turned her gaze skyward with a frown. "Think we're going to get wet?"

"Oh yeah." Evan nodded, then smiled knowingly. "Definitely."

"Oh come on." She glared at him. "This has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"If you say so." Evan shrugged.

Jen sighed and looked over her shoulder at Captain Sanchez. "What's the bet at this time?"

Sanchez grinned. "The disaster pool's over five-hundred. It took a hit after Todd took over the Daedalus. Too many people picked a double-cross over technical malfunction."

Jen rolled her eyes. "_Must_ you bet on other people's misfortune?"

Lieutenant Williams laughed. "Not other people's, Doc. Just yours."

"Oh. And that makes me feel so much better." Jen shook her head, then laughed. "And what were today's choices?"

"Um… wraith attack… geological catastrophe…" Sanchez listed.

"And zombies." Edison added.

"Zombies?" Jen looked incredulous. "Wow. Radek must have been into his screech when he came up with that one."

"Not really." Evan shrugged. "The last lab had zombies. It's a valid option."

Jen sighed. "And who picked what?"

"Now, Doc." Evan chastised. "You don't honestly think the men and I would be betting against you, do you?"

"Oh hell ya." Jen nodded. "For five hundred bucks? You lot would sell your mother."

Evan shrugged, but couldn't hide the grin as the others snorted in amusement.

"Zombies." Edison raised his hand.

"Zombies." Sanchez and Williams echoed.

Jen shook her head and turned towards Evan.

He shrugged then grinned. "Wraith attack."

"What?" Jen laughed.

"Gotta go with the best odds."

"I hate you all." Jen sighed dramatically, shaking her head at their laughter.

* * *

"You rang?" Laura drawled out as she stepped into John's office.

"Shut the door." John stood up and angled his chin. "Bright enough for ya?" He eyed the lime green hoodie she was wearing over her jeans.

Laura swiped her hand over the door control and shrugged. "It's warm. It's functional. It's my day _off_…" She added suggestively.

"Yes, yes." John muttered. "And I appreciate you taking time out of your _busy_ schedule."

Laura shrugged again then flopped down in the guest chair that was mashed in between two filing cabinets and a stack of file-folders. "Folders go in the cabinet, you know."

John rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, leaning against the side of his desk. Realizing it probably looked a little too dramatic, he relaxed and dropped his hands to the side, scooting himself up to sit on the surface of the desk.

"So." Laura eyed him warily. "What's up?"

John hesitated. He could skirt around it… or he could blurt it out and get it over with. With a sigh he went for Option B.

"How close are you and Dr. Keller?"

Laura raised an eyebrow.

"It's… important, Laura."

Laura pursed her lips. "We're friends. Why?"

John stared at a spot on the wall above Laura's strawberry blond hair. "When's the last time you talked to her?"

"Yesterday."

John looked down, noting the wary expression in the Lieutenant's eyes.

"All right…" Laura angled her head. "What's wrong."

"Has she ever mentioned having any kind of… problem with... me or…" He shrugged. "Any member of my team?"

Laura snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Not particularly. Although your hair _does _seem overly…" She wiggled her fingers over her head. "Sporadic today."

"Lieutenant…" John warned.

Laura rolled her eyes and brushed her hair away from her face, tucking several wayward strands in behind her ears.

"What happened this time?" She frowned.

"This time?" John's brow furrowed.

"Just… tell me what happened to have you call me in here." Laura looked directly at him, unblinking.

John shrugged. He supposed trading information was as fair a game as any. He briefly told Laura what he'd just learned from Woolsey.

Laura sat back in her chair and snorted again, shaking her head slowly side to side, fighting a smirk. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Cadman." John leaned forward. "If there's something going on I need to know about it… especially if it's directly affecting the ability of my personnel to work together. We don't have time for games. Now spit it out."

"Off the record?" Laura raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Off the record?" She repeated.

John's exasperated sigh was long and drawn out. "Yes, off the record."

"Because I'm not giving up any information if you're going to go blabbing this to Woolsey, or anyone else for that matter.."

John glared at her.

She held up her hands in defeat. "Fine. But you didn't hear _any _of this from me, got it? I'll deny it to my death."

He nodded.

"Okay." She took a deep breath, and shook her head quickly. Curls popped out from behind her ears and she stuffed the hair back again. "J's been under a lot of pressure lately. She's a little… stressed. Between the Hoffan virus, curing Teyla's people of Michael's so called hybrid therapy, Rodney's foray into childhood, looking for a way to cure the wraith, plus all the other stuff she has to deal with on a day-to-day basis…"

"So, she needs a vacation?" John frowned.

"I wasn't done." Laura glared at him.

He waved his hand for her to continue.

"It's not the work. She thrives on it. But it's all the… other crap she has to deal with in between all the work."

"What crap?"

Laura frowned and watched him warily from her slouched position in the chair. John stared back, clueless as to what the Lieutenant was mulling over.

"What… crap?" He repeated slowly. "Paperwork? Staffing issues? What?"

Laura sighed and stared at a spot on the far wall. "She's going to kill me if she finds out I've told you this…"

"Cadman!" John groaned.

Laura looked back at John. "Okay, look. Lately things have been getting a little awkward for Jen. Personally."

"Awkward?"

"Jen's… pretty, right? Blond. Beautiful. And she's well… she's available. And right now she has…" Laura quickly counted on her fingers, whispering under her breath. "Five… no… six regular… you know… stalkers."

"Stalkers…" John drew the word out slowly with a frown.

"Yeah, you know. Guys that follow her around on a regular basis? Angling for dates. Being all… Romeo to her Juliet."

John glared, realization of what Laura was telling him flashing tightly through his chest. "Marines?"

"It's a mixed bag." Laura shrugged. "I've already dealt the Marine's a threat of death and dismemberment… but the scientist, the engineer, um… the intern, and the ah, pilot… I'm still in the process of threatening. They don't quite believe me... _yet_."

John sighed. "How far has this… gone?"

"Meh…" Laura shrugged. "Flowers, candy, impromptu dinner invitations, the occasional grab-ass…"

"Grab ass?" John strangled out.

Laura frowned. "You asked!"

"I know… but…" He ran his fingers through his hair. "So she blames me?"

"No." Laura shook her head. "Why would she blame you?"

"Okay…" John frowned. "Then why is she refusing to deal with my team all of a sudden?"

Laura hesitated, then scrunched further back in the chair.

"Cadman." John growled. "What's this got to do with my team?"

Laura shifted nervously in her seat, briefly bit her lower lip, then blinked up at John.

"Laura... " John lowered his voice. "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think this was important."

Laura hesitated, then sighed. "Last week… I'm pretty sure J… told… Ronon to, ah, you know… back off."

"Ronon?" John frowned. "Why'd she tell him to…" Then he sighed. "Don't tell me. Ronon's going after them…"

Laura shook her head. "No. If he did they'd probably be dead."

John nodded his agreement. "True enough. But then why'd she tell him to back off? Back off from what?"

Laura blinked. "From her."

"From her what?"

"No…" Laura frowned further. "Back off from _her_. Look. You've seen how… protective Ronon is when he thinks one of his friends is being threatened, right?"

John stared at her. Protective. Yeah, it was as good a word as any to describe the Satedan.

"And have you _seen_ the way he looks at her?" Laura questioned.

John shook his head. "The way Ronon looks at… Jennifer?"

"God, men are dense." Laura muttered. "Yes Jennifer."

"Laura, just get to the point. If Ronon's not… going after these… guys… then what?"

Laura sighed. "Ronon's turning into number seven."

"Number seven?" John was confused. What did numbers have to… Oh. Oh! Oh, hell. "Ronon?" He blurted out.

Laura nodded.

"Ronon's grabbing her-?"

"No." Laura snorted. "He's not _that_ stupid. At least… I don't think he is." She pursed her lips, then shook her head. "But he has been overly… attentive lately. He's practically her shadow. I think _his_ added attention, on top of _everyone _else, is, well, freaking her out. Something happened when they got back from the Daedalus and all she would say is that she'd made him mad, and she was pretty sure he'd never speak to her again. She's been hiding on midnights ever since."

"Ronon." John muttered, shaking his head, slotting puzzle pieces into place. It certainly explained the Satedan's odd requests for spending his free time lately. Hell.

"So she's avoiding Ronon." He muttered under his breath. He shook his head and checked his watch. Ronon would be in the gym. He slid off his desk, his boots clumping loudly on the bare floor.

"Thanks Cadman." John nodded, swiping the access panel. The door swooshed open and he hurried off. "I owe you one."

"Colonel!" Laura called after him.

John stopped, and Laura quickly caught up to him in the hallway.

"There's probably… well… there's something else you should know." She looked quickly around, making sure they were alone.

"What?" He asked, impatient to get to the gym and have it out with Ronon.

"Um…" She sighed, then shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "Rodney's number eight." She blurted out, then turned on her heal and quickly disappeared around a corner.

"What?! McKay? Rodney McKay?" John called after her, but she didn't return. "Damn it, Cadman! Cadman!"

John stood in stunned silence, staring down the empty hallway. Then, with a muttered string of expletives, he turned and jogged towards the transporter.


	4. Chapter 4

John held himself in the doorway until both Teyla and Ronon had time to notice him. No sense causing any undue injury.

_Yet_.

After a particularly furious volley, the crack of bantos rods fell silent and the partners nodded respectfully to each other. Teyla moved to the side, bending to grab for her towel. Dabbing it against the side of her neck she straightened, and smiled towards John.

"John." She acknowledged.

John nodded in response and stepped into the room. "You guys done?"

"Yes." She grinned at Ronon. "I believe today's lesson's were well received." Then she frowned slightly at John's firm expression. "Is there something wrong?"

John shook his head, glancing quickly away. He angled his chin towards the hallway. "Can you… uh… excuse us?"

Teyla looked curiously from John to Ronon then back to John. "Of course." She nodded, quickly packing her rods away and grabbing the small duffel bag. "I shall see you later?"

John nodded as she passed, then quickly swiped his hand over the door controls, mentally adding the command to engage the lock.

"We need to talk." He glared at Ronon.

Ronon grunted and eyed him warily. "About what?"

"Dr. Keller." John raised an eyebrow.

Ronon didn't immediately answer… so John waited.

"What about her?" Ronon turned and stalked over to his water bottle, ripping the cap off and downing half the contents.

"Anything going on between you two I need to know about?"

"Nope." Ronon growled.

"Yeah well that's not what I'm hearing."

"And just _what_… are you hearing?" Ronon scowled.

"You two fighting?" John stepped into the middle of the room and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No." Ronon shook his head.

"Then why is she convinced you're mad at her?" John grimaced. That sounded _so_ high-school.

Ronon glanced at John. "She say that?"

John stared back, trying to read anything besides anger in Ronon's steady gaze. "Are you?"

Ronon just continued to stare. Or… glare… as it were. John sighed, angling for a different approach. He dropped his arms loosely to his sides.

"Look buddy, I don't know what's going on between you two, but if it's going to directly affect our ability to work, then we have a problem."

"Relax, Sheppard." Ronon slammed his bantos rods down onto the window sill and straightened. "There's _nothing_ going on."

John hesitated, watching Ronon's fists clench then unclench.

"Tell me what happened."

Ronon just grunted.

"Ronon." John stepped closer. "I know _something_ happened when you got back from the Daedalus. If you want me to ask Keller first, I will."

"Nothing happened." Ronon turned and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms to glare at John.

John stared, then shrugged, moving to turn away. "Fine. I'll ask her, then."

"Wait." Ronon stared at John, anger and confusion warring behind his scowl.

John almost recognized a hint of something… deeper… something… painful, but it was gone too quickly.

Ronon lowered himself to the window ledge. "I asked her to get something to eat. She said she was interested in someone else. End of story."

John blinked. He asked her to dinner, and she said she was into someone else. He asked her to dinner? Ronon? Doc? On a date? And she… Hmm… John threaded in what Laura had told him, and what little he knew about Jennifer, then added in the mission report and debriefing from the Deadalus escapade.

"Did she say who?"

Ronon shook his head and snorted. "Does it matter?"

John sighed. _Not really._ "Did she mean it?"

Ronon frowned.

"Did she mean it?" John repeated.

Ronon shrugged, then angled his chin. "Why'd she say it if she didn't mean it?"

John couldn't help laughing, adding up the number of times he'd been dumped off and lied too and coming up with an amount that was too big to mention. "Because." He shook his head and stepped forward, joining Ronon on the window sill. "Just… because."

Ronon stared at him, and John knew he probably wasn't getting away without some kind of explanation. The Satedan looked… hell… he looked… wounded. Damned if he _did_ have feelings for her. Certainly explained a hell of a lot now that John had the time… and reason… to be considering it all. Bigger picture and all that exponential crap.

"Okay, look." John wondered how he was going to explain this. He rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. He picked a spot to stare at on the wall across the room and sighed. "I have it on good authority that Doc's been under a lot of pressure lately."

"Been talking to Cadman?" Ronon raised an eyebrow.

John snorted, then nodded.

"What kind of pressure?" Ronon asked quietly, watching John from out of the corner of his eye.

"Work mostly…" Then John sighed, wondering just how much of this he should be sharing. "And… well... apparently our good doctor has a few… overzealous… suitors."

"Suitors?" Ronon frowned around the word.

John hesitated, but understood he needed to finish his thought if he was going to give Ronon any peace of mind. "Some of the Marines and a couple of civvies have become… ah, a little too... _familiar_ lately."

"Familiar… how?" Ronon growled.

John turned towards him. "Relax, Rambo." He warned. "It's being taken care of. Point is…" He shook his head sadly. "I'm pretty sure your timing just plain sucked."

"My timing."

John nodded. "My guess is, with everything that's going on, helping Teyla's people re-adapt, developing the Wraith cure, then the Daedalus, plus the group of Romeos Cadman's trying to kill... Well... you just… picked the wrong time to ask her on a date."

"It wasn't a date." Ronon corrected, sounding offended.

"Yeah, well, _whatever_ it was, she's somehow convinced you're never going to talk to her again."

Ronon frowned. "She said that?"

"To Laura."

They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, before John spoke. "You are, aren't you?"

Ronon turned towards him.

"Going to talk to her again?" John finished.

Ronon stared. Then shrugged. "Up to her."

John shook his head and stood up, patting Ronon on the shoulder. He briefly wondered just how _he'd_ become the advice king of romance issues. He hadn't even made it through his own marriage, and his current social calendar wasn't exactly teeming with possibilities. Yet he was expected to solve the dating issues of his staff and team members? This was definitely not in the job description. He shook his head and walked towards the door, debating contacting O'Neill and requesting they change the name of the city from _Atlantis_ to _The Love Boat_.

Halfway across the room, John stopped under the dragging weight of a niggling doubt and an echo of Laura's conversation. He turned slowly around, the frown forming before he caught Ronon's guarded expression.

"_Please_ tell me this has nothing to do with whatever it is you and McKay are fighting about?"

Silence.

"Ronon…" John warned.

Silence.

"Oh for the love of…" John reached for his com. "McKay!" He shouted in the mic, then shook his head, taking a deep breath before continuing on in what he hoped was a normal sounding tone. By the time he'd finished speaking, he'd convinced Rodney that he'd deep six every single ounce of caffeine in the entire city off the north pier before sundown if Rodney wasn't in the gym in the next five minutes.

Rodney was there in four.

* * *

"Is this it?" Jen frowned, staring at the ominous crevice in the rock wall.

"Cave next to the waterfall." Evan talked above the roar of the water that fell down the rocky crag into the small stream that rushed past them.

The waterfall wasn't more than a dozen feet above their heads, but it was at least twenty feet across. Impressive.

"Fits the description to me." Evan continued. "And, ah… matches the map." He wiggled the hand-held scanner.

Jen stiffened with tension as each man readied their P90 and switched on the attached flashlight. Nothing like wandering into dark caves with weapons locked and loaded to get a girl all paranoid and jumpy.

Evan and Edison went first, and she followed a few feet behind, immediately flanked by Williams and Sanchez. Everyone moved silently, and she couldn't help but hold her breath. A few feet inside the crevasse they stepped through an already open, metallic hatchway. The oval door resembled something one would find on a ship, or submarine. It was low and thick, and was so rusted it looked far older than it probably was. Jen stared at the large circular handle of the door as she followed Edison through the opening.

The minute they crossed the threshold the loud roar of the waterfall fell to a muted, dull, rumble.

The room inside was long and wide, extending to what she estimated was at least twenty across, and at good ten feet wide. The rusted, metallic walls stretched up nine or ten feet before being topped by a flat metal roof. The sides and ceiling were crisscrossed with piping and tubes of various sizes, some metal, some the organic compounds they all easily recognized as Wraith technology.

At the back, a second oval doorway revealed another cavern beyond, this one lined with two dozen empty stasis pods. After a quick search, Evan called the all clear and Jen let out the breath she'd been holding.

Unfortunately, exhaling meant inhaling, and the air inside the room carried the sharp fragrance of a fish-market, a comment which earned Jen a collection of grins.

She stepped to the console and shrugged out of her knapsack. The faint glow from the greenish lights in the ceiling would be enough to work by, as everyone's eyes adjusted to the dimness.

Evan sent Captain Sanchez and Lieutenant Williams back to the front entrance to keep an eye out.

An eye out for what, Jen didn't want to ask.

She carefully extracted her tablet from the front of her bag and attached it to the console, finding the inputs exactly where Rodney's paperwork suggested they'd be. Leave it to McKay to write a _How-to-not-get-blown-up_ tutorial for all city staff following the near-fatal building collapse a few months back. Sending forth a silent prayer that she'd remember Rodney's instructions on disabling the firewall, Jen switched the tablet on, typed in the pre-determined commands, and held her breath.

No beeping.

Well. That was good then.

She glanced quickly at Evan, who was eyeing the pod-room with interest.

"Go ahead." She called to him.

Evan looked at her from over his shoulder.

"Explore further." She angled her chin. "I'm going to be a while."

Evan hesitated.

"It's fine, Major." Jen looked quickly around the room. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." Evan finally answered. "But if anything… weird happens…"

Jen grinned. "You'll be the first to know."

Evan smiled then nodded to Edison. Both men stepped through the oval opening into the back room and disappeared.

Jen returned to her computer, losing herself in concentration while she scrambled to decipher Michael's documents. Mixed with Wraith and English, and a smattering of common Ancient terminology, it was a mash of commands and functions. She'd need a translator to figure out what was useful, and what was only Michael's insane drabbles.

She sneezed loudly and an echoing _bless you_ floated in from the front hatch.

Jen grinned.

She selected the first of what looked like many files, and downloaded it to her tablet. It would be slow going, but she hoped that in the end the contents of the hard drive would reveal something of use.

Either way, she supposed, at least she was off-world.

Even if it did smell like a fish-market.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Just a little warning here... I'm not sure how Shep would handle things here. I'm pretty confident he'd be royally pissed because if you think about what they've done... well... read on... :) We don't see John lose it often, so I'm channeling the anger from the scenes in The Storm and The Eye where he thinks Koyla's killed Elizabeth. Lemme know if you think it's too little or too much... :P - Nika_

* * *

"All right! All right!" Rodney walked quickly into the room, glancing curiously at Ronon before turning towards the Colonel. "What the hell is the all fired emergency! I was in the middle of…" Rodney paused. "Did you just lock the door?"

John stepped away from the controls and crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest. He'd done the good-cop routine with Ronon, but in the four minutes it had taken Rodney to get his scientific ass to the gym, John's frustration and anger had slammed him very firmly into bad-cop.

"What the hell is going on between you…" John glared at Rodney. "And you…" He glared at Ronon. "And Dr. Keller?"

"Uh… what?" Rodney looked momentarily worried, wringing his hands before quickly clasping them behind his back. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Rodney." John growled. "I am so far beyond the mood for games you'll be lucky if I don't deep six your ass off the north pier."

Rodney twitched and glanced at Ronon, who was still sitting in the window sill, glaring at John.

"Do either of you two have any idea where Dr. Keller is right now?" John asked.

Ronon blinked and shrugged, and Rodney shook his head.

"She's decided to run off and explore the lab Major Whalen's team cleared two days ago."

"What!" Ronon stood up with a growl. "_Michael's_ lab?"

"Alone?" Rodney squeaked.

"Well now here's the funny thing." John shifted his weight and continued to glare between the two men, riding their obvious discomfort. "It seems our ever-popular Chief Medical Officer _specifically_ requested that our Commanding Officer _not_ include me on the mission request… or more specifically… that my _team_ not be included on the mission request. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that little tidbit in a very early meeting with Mr. Woolsey this morning."

"She… can she do that?" Rodney looked from John to Ronon then back again.

"Yes." John clenched his jaw. "She can, and she did."

"Who's she with?" Ronon asked.

"Lorne." John watched Ronon's shoulder's drop with relief, if only slightly.

Rodney rolled his head back with a relieved sigh. "So she's not alone."

"No." John glared at Rodney. "No thanks to you."

"Hey!" Rodney blinked, then glared at Ronon. "_I_ didn't do anything."

"What…" John dropped his arms and stepped forward. "Are you two up to?"

Rodney found an interesting spec on the corner of his shoulder to pick at, his eyes raising to glare at Ronon.

John turned towards Ronon, who was standing stiffly, his arms threaded tightly across his chest, glaring back at McKay.

"Oh. My. God." John exclaimed, not liking the idea that had just popped into his head.

Both men looked towards him.

"Please. Please tell me you're not having some kind of… competition?" John knew Ronon's face would be locked, but Rodney couldn't play poker to save his life. He turned directly towards the scientist, who was looking everywhere but at John, and immediately got his answer.

John swore.

"Now wait a minute." Rodney stammered, stepping forward. "It's not what you think… we just… we were just… It's not a competition. Not in the sporting sense… I mean, we did shake on it… but…"

"You what!" John shouted, anger ripping into his voice. "You _shook_ on it? Over... Jennifer?"

Silence.

_Stressed_. John almost laughed aloud. Cadman said Jennifer was 'a little stressed'. Well no shit, Sherlock. No wonder she was stressed. She had a collection of alpha males digging at her heels, and these two idiots making bets over her love-life!

He cursed again, and ran his hand down the length of his face. Then he spun around, took two steps towards the door, his fingers digging into his hair before dropping to his side. He snapped his hand into a fist and spun back around.

"What the hell is wrong with you two!" He shouted. He pointed from one man to the other, riding the anger that twisted through his abdomen. "God damn it. You tell me right now you don't have any money riding on this. Because if you do, I swear…"

"What!" Rodney blanched and looked sufficiently shocked. "Money? No!"

Ronon shook his head quickly.

John's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he fought the urge to slam his fists through them both.

"Does she _know_?" He growled, the muscle in the side of his jaw bulging.

"Know what?" Rodney stared at him wide eyed.

"Does she know… that you two _idiots_ are playing her like a poker pot?"

"We're not…" Rodney glanced quickly at Ronon.

"We never…" Ronon started forward at the same time.

John held up his hand, cutting them both off.

"Does. She. Know?" He knew he was shouting but he was too far gone to stop.

Both men shook their heads.

John would have sighed with relief if he wasn't barely containing an urge to pummel them both. Because that heartache he sure as hell didn't want to come fact to face with. And he couldn't even begin to fathom the kind of backlash this could cause. He could almost hear his old quarters at McMurdo calling him. Not to mention the emotional issues this would leave behind. And Jennifer… shit. He liked her, damn it. She didn't deserve this kind of disrespectful behavior. No one did. But Jennifer…

_Fuck_!

He glared at Ronon, then Rodney. "This discussion _never_ leaves this room, do you hear me? Never. If she doesn't know already, then she is _never_ going to find out. Do I make myself clear?"

Silence.

"Do… I… make… myself… clear!"

Two nods.

"Not even Teyla."

Two more nods.

"No sleep talking. No drunken confessions. Nothing!"

Ronon opened his mouth and John cut him off with an abrupt wave. "I don't want to hear it. Not a damn word! What I want… is for you two _end_ it. _Now_. No fighting. No bloodshed. Nothing. This is the god-damn twenty-first century! Women are _not_ prizes to be had in a game of chance! What the _hell_ is wrong with you two?"

"We didn't…" Rodney started.

John shut him up with a glare. Then he shook his head slowly, a short bitter laugh falling out. "This is… by far… the _stupidest_… _lowest_… _cruelest_… most _disrespectful_ thing I've come across in a long… long time. And gentlemen, I assure you, I've seen some pretty asinine stunts over the years. But this? This… Hell, I don't even have the words to describe it!"

"But we… I mean… It wasn't like that…" Rodney started.

"McKay." Ronon interrupted. "He's right."

Rodney frowned at Ronon. "He… He is?"

"Yes." John nodded, his voice dropping a few decibels in surprise at Ronon's agreement. "I am."

Ronon shrugged and continued to watch McKay, with Rodney staring silently back.

John shook his head sadly and turned around, leaving the two to their silent staring match. His shoulders slumped in disgust as he swiped his hand across the access panel. This was just as much his fault as theirs. He should have seen it. Should have noticed sooner. Jesus, if Jennifer knew what they were up too…

"John." Rodney called, as the doors swished quietly open. "Wait."

John hesitated in the opening, but didn't turn around.

"I… we… we're sorry." Rodney said quietly.

John shook his head and stepped out of the room, refusing to look back.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to."


	6. Chapter 6

Jen couldn't remember when she'd gotten used to the rotten fish smell, but apparently, at some point in the last couple of hours, she'd managed to either bury the fact that the room smelled like dead perch on the beach, or her cold was getting worse. She sniffed. Yup. Cold.

Her head was starting to ache a little with the mix of dampness in the cavern, the dim lighting, the concentration of staring at the flashing characters on the screen, and the ensuing snot-factory forming in her sinus cavity. She massaged the bridge of her nose and stared down at the status of completion on the last of the files she was transferring. Ninety-eight percent. Judging by the previous files, she'd be done in a couple of minutes.

A long, loud clap of thunder echoed in from the open hatchway and she screeched and jumped, nearly dropping the tablet.

"Just the storm, Doc." Evan grinned from his reclined position against the wall next to Williams. Sanchez and Edison were out front, occasionally commenting on the power of the rain which started falling over an hour ago.

"Sorry." Jen shook her head and looked sheepishly at Evan. "I hate thunder."

"Thunder can't hurt you." Evan ambled across the room towards her.

"This is Pegasus, right?" She raised an eyebrow.

Evan grinned. "True enough."

She showed Evan the tablet. "Ninety-nine percent."

"Well that only took…" Evan looked at his watch. "Three hours, twenty six minutes and… thirteen seconds."

Jen grinned. "Like you had anything better to do."

"Well, now that you mention it…"

She laughed, and watched the status meter on the tablet screen flash green then disappear. "Done." She glanced from Evan to Williams. "That's everything I can download."

Williams nodded and moved towards the front hatchway, calling through to the others that they were finishing up.

Jen clutched the tablet against her chest and bent down, reaching behind the unit to unhook the data cable. Her fingers barely touched the connection when a loud beeping sounded.

_Oh crap._

Jen squeaked and jumped, turning to face Evan.

Evan spun towards her, his hands automatically dropping to his P90.

Lieutenant Williams stiffened, looking quickly around, weapon raised.

The beeping continued, quick and consistent.

"Shit." Evan cursed, spinning back around with his P90 to his shoulder.

Jen quickly checked the screen…

And laughed.

She didn't mean to.

But… it was just… well… funny.

Evan frowned and glanced at her over his shoulder.

She held up the tablet, showing Evan the large red warning message flashing against the screen.

_Battery depleted._

"Sorry. My bad." She snickered, looking from Evan to Williams then back to Evan. "Guess I needed a _third_ battery pack."

"Jeeze, Doc. Take a year off my life why don'tcha." Evan sighed and rolled his shoulders, releasing the P90 and turning around towards Williams, who was shaking his head with a grin.

Jen laughed, releasing the tension she'd balled up behind her shoulder blades. "Sorry." She apologized again.

Disconnecting the end of the cable from the laptop, she repacked the tablet into her knapsack, then turned towards the back of the unit to remove the other end of the cable from Michael's computer. She laughed again at her own freaked-out reaction to the beeping, wondering when she'd become so paranoid that a battery warning would send her into an adrenaline spiked rush.

As soon as she disconnected the cable the laughter died in her throat.

Drowned out by the piercing wail of an electronic klaxon.

_Oh hell._

"Shit!" Evan cursed, staring at Jen.

"I didn't do anything!" She wailed, holding up the cable.

"The door!" Evan shouted, running towards the front hatch. Williams dove forward but he couldn't prevent the massive blast doors from blocking the doorway. They hit the ground with an echoing clang that vibrated the floor. Spinning around, the trio confirmed their worst fears. A second wall of metal had also dropped to cover the rear compartment.

They were completely sealed in.

The klaxon continued to sound, it's metallic screeching pounding an answering echo through Jen's head. The steady pulse of the obvious alarm was reflected in two red lights that surged in response over each sealed doorway.

"Edison!" Evan tried his com, but could hear nothing but static. "Edison! Sanchez!" He tried again, then dropped his hand in disgust.

Williams shoved at the front panel, and Evan ran quickly to join him. With forced grunts they tried to push, shove, move the metal wall away from the opening but it was useless. They searched the wall to the right and left of the doorway but it was no use. There was no control panel. No obvious method of raising the door.

They were trapped.

Muffled pounding sounded from the other side and Evan held up his hand, calling for quiet.

"Edison!" He yelled through the door. "Edison!"

A muffled affirmative.

"Can you see a way to open the door?"

Silence.

Jen held her breath.

_No._

"Are you trapped?"

_No, we're clear._

"So you can you get out of the cave?" Evan shouted into the metal.

_Yes. The wall is only on your side of the hatchway._

"Get back to the gate!" Evan ordered. "We're going to need something to cut through these doors!"

_Sanchez will go._ Came Edison's reply. _I'll work on it from this side._

Suddenly, the klaxon stopped, and the room fell into silence.

"Okay…" Jen whispered, afraid to speak aloud. She moved to Michael's computer console, but the screen was blank. "Why do I get the feeling that's actually not a _good_ sign?"

_You okay?_ Edison shouted.

"Yeah!" Williams responded, followed with a muttered, "so far…"

A slow, long rumble began in the floor, and vibrated slowly up their legs. Organic tubing on the walls began to tremble as the force increased.

"What the hell?" Williams stared at the floor. "Earthquake?"

"Edison!" Evan shouted through the door. "Get the hell out of there!"

_What about you?_

"Just go, God damn it! Get out into the open! That's an order, Lieutenant!"

The rumbling increased, the violent shaking sending Jen stumbling to the side. She grabbed one of the massive metal pipes for stability.

With a roaring blast of rock and debris, a two foot section of the wall above her head exploded out under the pressure of a massive wall of water.

She screamed and fell beneath the pounding spray, the force of the water shooting her across the room like a waterslide.

Evan dove forward, grabbing her and yanking her too her feet. Williams helped guide her into the corner. The trio stared wide eyed at the white, foaming spray gushing into the cavern, quickly flooding the floor.

"Please tell me that's not…" Jen trailed off.

"The waterfall?" Evan blinked.

"I asked you not to tell me."

Evan cursed, staring at the water that churned above their ankles. "Oh, this is not good."

Jen sloshed over to the computer, hoping, wishing that perhaps there was something she could find to release the doors. Gripping the edge of the computer console, she held herself up in the slippery press of the water, and stared wide-eyed at the unit. Evan and Williams followed, and the trio eyed at the destructed mass. Several chunks of rock and metal that once lived in the wall above their heads, now resided inside the screen. She stared at it in horror, and turned to Evan.

"It's no good." She shouted over the roar of the incoming water, brushing her wet hair away from her face.

Evan stared around the room, glancing over the walls and ceiling. "Start looking for access panels, hidden doors, anything!" He ordered, moving to the wall next to the entrance. "There's got to be another way out of here!"

With the water already at their knees, they felt along behind the piping, pulling at the organic tubing. Williams had his knife out and was quickly cutting away chunks of the slimy conduits. There was nothing but the smooth surface of the metal wall behind. The water filled the room quickly, and by the time they'd cleared the first wall, it was already up to their waist.

They moved quickly to the wall across from the rerouted waterfall, pulling at the cables and piping. Jen hissed against the frigid temperature of the water as it climbed her torso.

"Damn, that's cold!" She cursed.

"It's useless." Evan growled. "There's nothing here."

He looked quickly around, his eyes locked on the ceiling. "How high is that?" He looked to Williams briefly before turning his eyes back to the roof. "Ten feet… maybe eleven?"

Williams nodded.

Evan ripped into his tack vest and handed Williams his C4. Then he pointed to a section over the already blasted opening in the wall. Water dripped down through a series of large, jagged cracks in the wall and ceiling. "The ground sloped towards this side of the river. The area above us should be dry. If we're lucky, there's less than a foot of rock above us, and it should already be weak. If we can get far enough up, we might be able to blow ourselves an escape hole."

"You can't be serious!" Jen looked from Williams to Evan to the C4 the Lieutenant was stuffing into his TAC vest next to his own.

"You got a better idea?" Evan looked at Jen.

She shook her head, riding a shiver as the cold water reached her shoulders. It was like standing in an ice bath, fully clothed.

Moving quickly to the opposite side of the room, away from the incoming water, Evan boosted Williams up, giving the Lieutenant leverage while Williams scrambled to find a handhold amongst the slick, wet piping. He moved up Evan, planting first his knees, then his heels, on the Major's shoulders. Evan grunted and grabbed a section of metal piping to keep himself upright. He used the added leverage of the water to help displace the weight, but Williams was still damn heavy. Jen half swam, half strode through the water, and stood beside Evan. Grabbing the pipe with her left hand, she braced herself against the wall, and offered Williams her shoulder to help take the weight off Evan.

He refused with a shake of his head so she grabbed his ankle, planting his foot against her shoulder. "Quit being a baby!" She yelled up at him. "And get us out of here!"

He blinked down at her and nodded, shifting his weight. She grunted under the sudden pressure of having a two-hundred pound man using her for half a step-ladder, but she refused to move away. With her forehead buried against the slime of the organic tubing, she clenched the metal pipe. Her arms trembled with the strain of holding herself upright. She closed her eyes and concentrated, shuddering violently when the water lapped against the back of her neck.

"A little faster, Lieutenant!" Evan shouted, grunting as Williams shifted position.

"Almost done…" Williams called down, his voice strangely muffled. "Okay!"

Jen looked up through her wet bangs to see Williams clutching the detonator in his teeth. He nodded down at her then reached for the piping, lifting his weight off her shoulders. Evan dragged her away from the wall as Williams slid down the pipe and splashed into the water, the small black box still firmly seated dryly between his teeth. Jen bobbed in the water, the surface tickling her chin.

"Can you tread water?" Evan looked directly at her.

She nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"We're going to need to wait until we're almost at the top." Evan said to Jen, pulling her towards the side, and away from the incoming flow of water. "If we blow it too soon, it might bring the entire roof down on our heads. If we can wait until the water's almost to the roof, we stand a better chance of… swimming out of here."

"And if it doesn't work?" She asked, clenching her teeth against the shiver that ripped through her body.

"Then we're dead either way." Evan said honestly.

Jen stared at him unblinking. Then she nodded. "Okay."

"Don't worry, Doc." He grinned. "It'll work. Drowning wasn't one of the bets."

"Right." She exhaled, bobbing in the water, no longer able to touch the floor. "Lucky you picked Wraith attack, huh Major."

"Hey, come on." Evan pouted. "Day's not over yet."

Jen snorted, then sneezed twice, violently.

"Stupid cold." She muttered.

Using the pipes on the wall as hand holds, they rode the rising tide. Fingers trembled as everyone fought to keep their grip in the icy liquid. The pounding behind Jen's skull was moving at a violent pace and she closed her eyes, resting her forehead on the back of her hands. If they didn't drown, and the explosion didn't crush them under a ton of wet rock, and they actually made it out alive… they'd be seriously close to hypothermia, with no supplies. Despite the throbbing headache, Jen's mind raced with everything they were going to need the minute they got out.

Bobbing a foot from the ceiling, Jen opened her eyes and looked at Evan, her voice clipped as her chattering teeth made it difficult to speak. "We're going to… have to… get dry… and warm… fast…"

"Hypothermia." Williams agreed from the other side of Evan. "Water's damn cold."

Evan nodded, the muscle at the side of his jaw bulging as he clenched his teeth. "The village…" He shivered. "Less than a mile. Find shelter there."

"It's raining." Williams added, winking at Jen.

"Gee." Jen muttered. "Th-thanks... for the reminder."

Evan snorted and shook his head. "Don't like rain, Doc?"

Jen shivered. "Love rain." She shook her head. "Fun to walk in."

"Then what's… the problem?" Williams chattered.

"I forgot… my umbrella. Remember?" Jen stared at him.

Williams blinked, then burst out laughing.

Evan grinned and shook his head. He glanced up at the roof, then over to Williams. "Ready?"

Williams nodded. "Ready, Sir."

"Over there." Evan turned to Jen, and angled his chin towards the opposite end of the wall. Using the pipes, he pulled himself along with his right hand, and guided Jen with his left. Once they reached the end of the wall, he moved her around so she was wedged face first into the corner. Williams bobbed up beside him, so Jen was left staring at the wall, with the two men to her back.

"Alright, Doc." Williams said over her shoulder, his voice clipped. "When I say go… You're going to need… to shove yourself as far down… into the water as you can get."

"Use the pipes." Evan added, tapping the back of her hand which tightly gripped one of the pipes. "Push deep. Down. Away from the blast."

Jen nodded, her heart leaping into her throat with each throbbing pound of the headache.

"Hold your breath… as long as you can." Williams continued.

"When you see daylight…" Evan added. "Swim for it. Fast as you can. Got it?"

Jen nodded, glancing at Evan over her shoulder. He nodded back.

She shook her head, staring wide eyed as Evan looked at Williams.

"Do it." Evan ordered.

Williams grinned. "Fire in the hole…"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note** - My greatest apologies for not updating sooner. I was held hostage by the plot bunnies, who insisted the threat of a watery grave and subsequent rescue by SGA1 was far too good for our heroes (Jen and Evan), so I was forced to rewrite the next two chapters. The bunnies, who are insisting I refer to them as the Great Lop Ears of North Nagook, (GLENN for short) have finally agreed to let me post the next chapter. And so, without further adieu, I give you, chapter 6. But GLENN has asked me to remind you that just because it looks like a happy ending, doesn't mean squat. :P  
_

_- Nika_

* * *

"Unscheduled off-world activation." Chuck announced over the warning siren echoing through the gate-room.

Woolsey quickly left his office and turned towards the control room.

"Captain Sanchez's IDC." He glanced at Richard. "They're an hour early."

"Ah. Very well." Richard nodded, and moved towards the balcony railing. "Lower the shield."

The security team relaxed from their advanced position on the gate-room floor, as Captain Sanchez stumbled through the event horizon, alone. He skidded to a stop, mud and wet leaves stuck to his legs and arms, a pool of murky rainwater forming quickly beneath him.

The event horizon closed behind him as Sanchez looked up to the balcony.

"I need the Colonel A'sap."

* * *

Ronon hit the ramp at a run, quickly followed by McKay.

"Close it up." John ordered, swinging back around in the pilots seat. Ronon slapped the door control, closing the hatch.

Rodney brushed past the Satedan and dropped into the seat beside Teyla, who was sitting directly behind John.

"What happened?" Ronon asked, bracing himself on the bulkhead between the forward and rear sections as Sheppard lifted them off the floor of the jumper bay.

"Booby trap." John answered, letting Atlantis control their descent into the gate-room. "Lorne, Williams, and Keller were in the lab when they were locked in."

"Some kind of blast doors." Sanchez, who was seated in the co-pilots chair, turned to look at Ronon. "Dropped in front of the entrance. We couldn't find any trigger to release it."

"Yes, well of course you couldn't." Rodney snorted.

"Injuries?" Ronon glared at McKay then switched his direct gaze to the Captain.

"They were fine when I left." Sanchez shook his head. "Major sent me back for a torch." He angled his chin towards the case strapped to one of the rear seats. "See if we can cut them out."

"They're not answering their radios." John added. "Chuck's been trying since you got back."

"How long has it been?" Teyla asked quickly.

Sanchez turned towards her. "Forty five."

Silence reflected their combined thoughts. Almost an hour. Too long in the unknown – and too long in Michael's domain.

The Captain turned back towards the Colonel. "You're flyin' into a hurricane." He said to John. "Gonna hit you like a some'bitch on the port side the minute the front end clears."

"Hurricane?!" Rodney exclaimed, staring at the back of Sanchez's head.

"Worried, Sanchez?" John arched his brow and glanced sideways at Sanchez as the jumper dropped down into the gate-room.

"Not if you let me fly." Sanchez shot back. "Younger, better reflexes…"

"What hurricane?" Rodney repeated, leaning forward. "There's a hurricane?"

John nodded to Chuck as the front end rotated towards the already active Stargate.

"Rodney." Teyla admonished. "I'm sure the Captain is exaggerating."

Sanchez glanced over his shoulder at McKay and grinned slyly.

"Oh crap." Rodney muttered, leaning back and gripping the edges of his seat.

John mentally compensated for rough weather as they approached the wormhole. The second they cleared the gate he realized Sanchez wasn't kidding. It was one hell of a storm. He barely had time to register the force of the wind before they spun sharply towards the forest. He pulled them higher, but as soon as they cleared the protective brace of the trees, they were shoved sharply sideways.

It was barely two in the afternoon local time, but the sky was black as coal. Lightning flashed sharply, immediately accompanied by a crack of thunder that made everyone wince. The windshield was blasted with rainwater, swirling and streaking across the surface, making it almost impossible to see.

John fought to keep them on a steady course. If their distance of travel was greater, he'd pull them above the storm.

With a deafening roar, metallic chatter sounded off the top of the hull.

"Is that… _hail_?" Sanchez braced himself on the console and stared at the white beads bouncing off the windshield.

John called up the HUD, showing a display of the local area and the location of the lab. The image flickered, wavered, then solidified for a few seconds before disappearing again. Life-signs flashed in and out as the tiny ice pellets continued to pelt the jumper.

"Lovely weather we're having…" John muttered, banking the jumper into the wind.

Sanchez pointed out a section on the map while it was stable. "The lab's here." The HUD fizzled and disappeared, then flickered back on again.

"McKay…" John glanced at the scientist, who looked up from his tablet.

"What?" Rodney made a face.

John angled his head towards the flickering display.

"Yeah, and I can fix it because I control the weather…" Rodney glared back.

* * *

"Now!" Evan yelled at Jen and she took a deep breath, plunging herself beneath the surface. Cold water crested over her skull and she nearly climbed back out from the sheer shock. Someone's hand hit her shoulder and shoved her further into the darkness. Her boots connected with the floor and she gripped the pipes with both hands. Hands firmly covered hers, and a body pressed her against the wall. She could feel the sharp lumps of the TAC vest jabbing into her spine.

The concussion of the explosion rocked her forward, banging her forehead against the back of her hands. She nearly lost her grip, and if not for the clutch of fingers over her own, she would have floated up.

Darkness descended, and she could no longer see anything through the chill of the water… then with a clouding brightness… everything lightened.

Daylight?

She turned to look, coming face to face with Evan. His hands peeled hers from the pipes and he pointed up, yanking her forward.

Jen shoved herself off the bottom, her lungs aching for air, her body straining to reach the wonderfully happy vision of the grey light that called from above.

She was heavy in her clothes, and the boots didn't help either. Using the pipes she hauled herself to the surface, then had to kick off the wall to reach the hole in the ceiling. When her head broke the surface she gasped in a lungful of air, then sank quickly when she forgot that she needed to keep swimming.

With a sharp kick, she broke the surface again and screamed in shock when a face appeared in the air above her.

"Doc!" Edison shouted as she blinked up into the rain that fell in torrents from the cloudy sky above. "Grab my hand!"

A huge rumble of thunder clapped over head and she winced, blinking against the blinding flash of lightning. Rain pounded the water, bubbling it around her. She stuck out her fingers and the Lieutenant grasped her wrist. He was lying on his stomach on the rocky ground, his shoulders and arms hanging over the edge of the hole. He grabbed her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. With a heave, Edison hauled her out of the water and rolled her onto the rocks. He quickly released her and moved to grab for Evan, who'd broken the surface behind Jen. Williams popped out immediately beside the Major.

Jen scrambled forward and helped drag both men out of the freezing cold water that was now bubbling out of the hole and onto the rocks. The storm gusted around them, whipping Jen's heavy, wet hair around her face.

"Fancy meeting you here." Williams yelled at Edison.

"I figured you two would try something stupid." Edison shouted back, helping Jen to her feet. He looked as wet as the rest of them, although his drenched status was due to the rain, and not a fifteen minute soak in an icey tomb.

Thunder cracked and Jen jumped, nearly losing her balance on the wet rocks.

"Well." Jen snorted, wrapping her arms around her torso and digging her fingertips into her armpits, bracing her feet as the wind shoved her around. "T-t-this has certainly been f-fun."

"Whassa matter, Doc?" Edison grinned, grabbing her hand and helping her slide down the muddy embankment to the narrow gorge below. "You don't like rain?"

"She's just mad… because she forgot… her umbrella." Williams called out, tucking his own fingers into his armpits as they headed towards the mucky trail.

Jen trembled, her teeth clacking violently as she tried to glare behind her at the Lieutenant.

She only succeeded in making him laugh.

She sighed and shuddered, her legs wobbling as she tried to concentrate on following Edison as he loped down the path. Water squashed loudly between her toes and she grimaced with every step. Within a few moments, Williams was still snickering, causing Evan to chuckle. Jen couldn't help the grin when Edison boisterously launched into the chorus from _Singing in the Rain_.

"Y-you're all ins-s-sane, you… you know that, r-right?" She chattered. She felt like a fully dressed ice-cube, and these guys were singing movie-tunes. Nuts. Completely nuts.

Edison glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Just another day in Pegasus, Doc."

"Yeah." Jen mumbled turning forward so she could better concentrate on putting one shaking foot in front of the other without falling. "Yay for P-P-Pegasus."

That only seemed to make them all laugh harder.


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note - GLENN has dedicated this chapter to Renisanz, because she wanted more nail-biting suspense. Or rather... didn't. GLENN's response sounded very much like neener-neener. They made me type quickly, so the spelling mistakes are all their fault. - Nika  
_

* * *

Evan was a little concerned the first time Jennifer blew over, and he was definitely worried the third, forth, and fifth time. With the wind gusting hard enough to push _him_ around, it stood to reason she'd have a hell of a time keeping upright. She was having more and more trouble staying on her feet, and he was no longer sure it was just the storm.

Rain pelted them through the trees, as the wind shoved the branches out of the way, letting the weather fall to the ground below. Thunder rumbled almost consecutively, and while it was barely noon, the sky was dark enough that each flash of lightning was nearly blinding.

Motioning for Williams to grab her other arm, they hauled Jen up and pinned her between them. Her body vibrated violently with shivers – the trembling jarring his own shaking. He caught Williams worried glance above the top of her head.

Two steps later she stumbled again, sagging between them.

"Edison!" He waved the Lieutenant closer so he could be heard over the wind and rain. "Get to the village! Find us someplace warm and dry! And keep trying to reach Sanchez! He should have reached the gate by now!"

"Roger that!" Edison shouted before he turned and disappeared down the path.

"Doc!" Evan shouted, forcing her to look at him. He knew _he_ was cold, but her skin was like touching ice.

"S-s-sorry." Was all she could muster.

Evan nodded at Williams, and they continued to half walk, half drag her down the path after Edison. They were only a quarter mile from the edge of the village, but with the wind shoving them back a foot for every two taken, it was an excruciating process.

Edison met them at the edge of the village, shadowed by a man, and two women. The village was small, but it's location well planned for what was obviously not a random weather occurrence. Sheltered beneath a low rising escarpment, it was buffeted by the wind and rain, but with no where near the same volume as the trail they'd just crossed. The small houses were built low to the ground, mixed in amongst the trees and boulders which formed a natural wind abutment.

They were ushered into a small hut along the back corner, and Evan felt more than saw the warmth of the roaring fire the minute he crossed the threshold.

The main room was small and tidy, a one room living area with a table and chairs, a kitchen section, and a large pallet on the floor beside the fire. In the back corner an archway announced another room, but it was shrouded with a heavy, maroon drape.

The small hut smelled of a deep spice, mostly likely coming from the large pot hanging on an iron hook above the fire.

The older man turned towards them wiping rain from his face. Evan pegged him to be in his late forties… young for Earth. Old for Pegasus. He was short and stocky, with dark eyes and an easy smile. Deep laugh lines were prominent around his eyes and mouth, telling Evan that despite a harsh lifestyle, he wasn't a harsh man. His grey hair was cropped tightly against his head, and while he wore simple clothes, he carried himself with authority.

"Welcome to Rella." The man nodded, shaking the rain water out of his hair.

"Is the weather always this lovely?" Evan smiled, accepting the man's outstretched hand.

"Well you have come during the rainy season." The man smiled in return. "You are welcome to stay here until the weather passes. The storm should abate by the sun's rise. I'm Turne, and this is my wife Inta, and her sister Marna." He pointed to a stack of cloth next to the palette and the fire. "We have clothes and blankets. The sizes may be off, but they're dry. My wife has something that should fit your woman friend."

"Thanks." Evan nodded. "We appreciate the hospitality."

The first woman drew back the hood of her long cloak. Her hair was long and dark, her skin warn from years of working in the sun. She looked with concern at Jen. "I'm Inta. Let us take her. We'll get her into something warm and dry."

"Oh y-yes p-lease." Jen muttered. She struggled on her wobbling legs, and Evan wasn't about to believe for a moment she'd stand on her own. Her teeth where chattering so loudly it was like listing to a castanet. He released his hold on Jen's right arm to Inta.

The second woman dropped her hood to reveal a equally weathered face, her hair cropped short. She relieved Williams of his hold on Jen's left arm, and the three women moved towards the archway.

"Our room is through the door." Inta angled her chin towards the curtain. "We have clothes that should fit."

With the barest of nods, Evan ordered Edison to check it out, and the Lieutenant quickly stepped towards the archway, pulling aside the curtain, as though to offer his assistance. After a quick survey he nodded the all clear to the Major, as the women helped Jennifer through.

"Were you caught by the storm?" Turne asked.

As they changed into the dryer clothing, Evan explained what happened in the lab, and their narrow escape.

Turne eyed the collection of weaponry on the small table. "Then I guess it is a good thing you always travel so… lightly." He raised an eyebrow.

Evan glanced at the table. It _did_ resemble a small armory. He shrugged. "We like to be prepared."

Turne shook his head in awe, then smiled. "Teyla Emmagen did mention that about her fellow 'Lanteans."

"You know Teyla?" Evan wasn't really surprised. Teyla represented Atlantis on most of their trading missions.

"Yes." Turne nodded. "For many years now."

The curtain parted and Marna stepped out, warily eyeing the mass of weapons on the table. Then she turned towards Evan. "Your friend is changed and dry, and already fast asleep."

Inta stepped out, and glanced from her husband, to Evan. "I have covered her with warmed blankets to keep off the chill." She added, then she moved towards the hearth, and stooped next to a small metal box that rested near the fire. Lifting the lid, she reached inside, and held up of chunk of woven cloth. "It is a small blanket. Beneath her covers she has a similar piece over her torso. Replace it with this one when it chills, and return the other to the box to re-warm."

Evan understood the logistics behind treating hypothermia – keep the core warm, not the extremities, and nothing too hot or it would burn. He was impressed with their innovation, and told them so.

Inta laughed. "Your Doctor said the same thing." She shrugged. "When it rains every other day, being wet and cold is as common as a Wraith."

Marna pointed to the pot over the fire. "Dellian soup. Hearty. Strong for your stomachs. There are bowls and scoops in the cupboard. Please help yourself."

A round of thanks was met by quick smiles.

"It is no trouble." Inta nodded and hooked her hand through her husband and they moved towards the door. "We shall leave you to rest. If you should require anything, Turne and I are but two houses over."

Marna nodded and followed her sister out the door.

Edison was scooping soup before the door had even closed.

"What?" He frowned when Evan stared. "We didn't have lunch. Besides," he handed Evan a bowl. "It would be rude not to."

Evan laughed and accepted the bowl. "You sound like McKay."

"I resent that." Edison frowned.

Evan grinned. "Yeah, so does McKay."

* * *

"In here." Sanchez pointed, stepping into the small opening in front of the lab. John and Rodney pushed past him to stare at the still open hatchway, and the metal wall that blocked the other side of the opening.

John reached through the hatch to pound on the gray metal.

"Lorne! Keller! You guys okay in there?"

Silence.

"Lorne!" He pounded again.

No answer.

"Where's Edison?" John looked at Sanchez.

Sanchez shrugged and shook his head. "I left him right here. Maybe they found a way out?"

Ripping a hand-held sensor out of his wet TAC vest, Rodney scanned the room. "I'm not getting any energy readings. Nothing beyond the wall. Could be something in the metal."

"Sheppard!" Ronon's voice cut through the com.

"Go ahead." John answered.

"Up top." Ronon answered from the top of the escarpment as he stared down at a massive hole which overflowed with water.

Teyla crossed quickly to Ronon's side, her hair matted to her head. "It is the right location." She glanced worriedly from the edge of the hill, over to where they were standing. "The cave is right below us." Kneeling, she withdrew her flashlight and tried to see into the murky depth.

John climbed the rocky incline, quickly followed by Sanchez.

"Shit." Sanchez muttered. "Is that…?"

John glanced back at the waterfall, then down to his feet. "It's the lab." He unclipped his P90, and handed it to Sanchez. Then he moved to undo the straps of his TAC vest.

"What are you doing?" Teyla straightened and stood beside him.

"They could be trapped." John answered, the sound of velcro tearing drowned out beneath a roll of thunder. "Pocket of air…"

Ronon growled and in one fluid movement handed Teyla his blaster, shrugged out of his leather jacket and grabbed her flashlight. Then he stepped off the edge of the opening and disappeared beneath the surface under a massive spray of water.

"Ronon!" Sheppard shouted, then rolled his eyes. "I swear he has the patience of a three-year old."

Teyla frowned, then shrugged. Sanchez returned the P90, and all three edged the water, staring into the murky hole.

Ronon's head broke the surface and he gripped the edge of the rocks.

"It's the lab." He grunted as he pulled his shoulders out of the water. Teyla and John grabbed for his arms and hauled him up. He handed Teyla back her flashlight. "No one there." He shook his head violently, flinging water everywhere. "Must have blown the hole. Went for shelter. Probably to the village."

Teyla handed him his jacket and he yanked it on before dropping his blaster back into the holster at his hip.

"McKay." John activated his com. "Head back to the jumper."

"But…"

"They're not here." John added, leading the way across the rocks towards the entrance to the cave. "Looks like Lorne made himself an escape hatch."

"Then why…"

"Jumper, McKay." John ordered.

"Fine." Rodney sighed, his displeasure evident in his tone. "And when we get there maybe you can explain why I had to come in the first place…"

"Because we'd miss hearing your _lovely _voice." John said snidely, jumping the last of the way down to the gorge to land next to Rodney who'd exited the cave opening.

"Ha. Ha." Rodney answered, wincing as the rain pelted him in the face. "I'm so going to catch a cold from this." He shuddered and tried to pull the collar of his jacket up around his neck. "Or pneumonia. Fever. Chills."

"I promise to buy you some chicken noodle soup as soon as we get home." John muttered, patting him on the back. "Now. Lets just get to the village, shall we?"

* * *

There was something to be said for the adrenaline rush of waking up in a strange place, with no memory of how you got there in the first place. And normally, Jen was sure she would be feeling that rush, but at the moment, her addled mind would only let her wash over the confusion with the realization that she was actually, finally, warm.

Really warm.

Too warm.

But her limbs wouldn't cooperate in their quest to kick the blankets off.

So she gave up, and closed her eyes again. She slowly pieced together the who, what, where, when, why, and how… and came up with Michael, a booby-trap in his lab, the flood, Williams getting crazy with the C4, and a really cold walk in a hurricane. Which was apparently still going outside, if the sharp pelting on the roof was any indication.

She sighed and snuggled further under the covers, curling onto her side. Her muscles ached slightly, reminding her of their displeasure at being left so cold for so long. And while the palette was small and lumpy, it was definitely better than being outside… or well… being… dead. Under water trapped in that damned lab.

She could feel the stuffy pressure in her sinus and fought a sneeze. Running her fingers over her forehead, she wondered if her hands were cold, or her head was warm, or both. Knowing her luck, the cold was blowing itself into a lovely case of the flu. She most likely wasn't warm from the blankets… in fact she was pretty sure she had now had a fever, and absolutely no modern medical supplies. Scratch that. No supplies period. At least she was already laying down. With the fuzz in her head she'd be hard pressed to stand.

Whispered voices reached her ears, snippets of conversation from the front room. With her back to the door she noted the added light reaching the far wall as the curtain was moved back. Shadows lengthened and she squinted, even the simple brightness making her head ache. Yup. Definitely sick.

"She still sleeps." One voice said softly.

Jen wondered if she should get up, since technically she wasn't sleeping any more, and maybe someone else wanted their bedroom back. But she _was_ toasty warm, and despite the awkward slope she was comfortable… And she did feel, well, rather crappy indeed.

"Leave her. She's done nothing wrong." A second added harshly. "You have the others… that's enough."

Jen's heart skipped. Okay… _that_ didn't sound good at all.

"But I promised."

"You have done enough! You will not condemn her, too."

The hushed voices moved away, the light cut off as the curtain fell. Jen heard the latch on the front door.

"What do we tell her when she wakes?"

"The truth." A pause as the curtain swayed with the influx of open air. "Her friends are dead. Because they will be by nightfall."


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N** - Sorry it's a short one ... but hopefully will tide you over! I have a nasty cold while I'm writing this so some of Jen's pains are coming from personal ache. Praise the Ancients for Nyquil!! :) - Nika_

* * *

The minute the door closed, Jen fought off the covers and stood up.

She immediately regretted her sudden upright placement when the room spun sideways and she ended up back down on her tailbone. Two more tries and she finally had her bare feet beneath her. The wooden floor was cold against her toes and she shuddered.

With a prayer to whoever might be listening, she took several deep breaths and attempted to calm her racing heart. Blood pounded behind her skull and she jammed her fingers against her temple, willing it to stop hammering long enough to let her think.

_God, she really needed to think._

No sounds came from the other room, so she decided to start there.

With a calming breath she stepped forward, leaning heavily against the wall next to the curtained archway. Trembling fingers reached for the edge of the cloth, angling it away from the frame so she could peer past.

Empty.

She pushed the curtain further away and leaned into the room.

They were gone. They were all gone.

She moved about, her mind trying to comprehend what her eyes were seeing. Wet uniforms hanging next to the fire. TAC vests still draped across the back of the chairs. Bowls of - she stuck her finger in the thick vegetable mixture – cold soup on the table.

But the most surprising of all?

Weapons. Standing in the corner.

They would never have left her alone for one, but more importantly, they would never have left their weapons. Not if they had anything to say about it.

_Nightfall._

Jen moved towards the window, then hesitated. It was still daylight. It was still storming. She had until nightfall. But what happened at nightfall? And where were they? How far could you go in a hurricane? How could she have not heard anything?

Oh lord. What to do? What to do?

She sank into a chair, dropped her head into her hands, and closed her eyes. As long as she didn't move, the pounding in her skull abated enough and she could remain partially coherent. In the back of her mind, a little girl wanted to just crawl back under the blankets and be sick. To just close her eyes and ride it out and hope that it was all a bad dream. To have Mom bring her crackers and ginger-ale. Lay cold fingers across her warm forehead. Blankets on the couch while watching cartoons.

Jen took a deep breath, and blinked open her eyes. Rubbing her temples she stared at the three P90's.

She needed to find them. And she needed to do it fast. But how?

_Damn it, she was no good at planning spy missions! _

Okay. Okay. She was it. She was the only one. She was all they had. She needed to… needed to what? How could she figure out where they were? Maybe if she could find out who took them… and follow them… and then… oh sure Jen, yeah that works all fine and dandy in Hollywood.

Hollywood.

She lifted her head.

Well, none of these people would have seen any…

But then… okay… so how to make someone lead her there? Make them think they were already gone? But how would they believe that?

Would the people who took them come back? Rescue would surely come… but when. How soon? Could she?

Her head lifted and she slowly looked around the room, the edge of an idea forming. Rain pelted the windows and she stared at the drops of water sliding down the glass.

If she had to go outside…

She looked down at the roughly hewn smock she was wearing. No good.

Standing slowly, she moved into the back room, and dug through the narrow dressers. After a few moments she'd managed to cover herself with a heavy woolen dress, then added a hooded cloak that would hide her head and face from the rain – and any observers.

She sat on the edge of the small cot and struggled to pull on her wet boots. Standing up slowly, she winced as her toes sloshed in the water that was still pooled inside.

Turning, she picked up the blanket off the bed, picked out a long cloth belt from the wardrobe, and moved back into the front room.

Spreading the blanket out on the table, she stacked the P90's and M9's into the middle, then rolled the blanket tightly around them. Using the cloth belt, she secured the ends of the blanket. Carefully lifting her parcel, she judged the weight. It was heavy, but the ties should hold.

Slinging the belt over her head and shoulder she braced against the sudden pull against her back.

She piled the three TAC vests one on top of the other, and bent to scoop them up against her chest. When she stood, the cloak fell down over her arms, hiding them from view. It would have to do. As long as she didn't need to use her arms.

She was halfway across the room when she stopped.

She couldn't just waltz out the front door.

Okay. Think Jennifer. Think.

There was a window in the bedroom.

She headed back into the back room and set the vests onto the floor. Unlatching the window she raised it, a blast of cold air crossing her midsection. Rain splashed on the window frame as she squatted and slowly stuck her head out. The window opened into a small alley that ran between the houses. The side of the house faced the back wall of another small dwelling. She could leave unnoticed.

Dropping first the vests, then the blanket strapped weapons out the window and onto the muddy ground, she was about to step through the narrow opening when she suddenly realized she'd be leaving without any trace.

Anything she could leave behind could be cleaned up. Water wiped, and bowls removed. Their wet uniforms could easily be hidden or destroyed, and no one would have any idea they'd ever been there.

And they _would_ come.

She needed something… a note… a sign. Someplace visible. Something they'd understand.

Something unrecognizable to the villagers.

Standing in front of the open window, with rain spattering against her stolen cloak, she stared around the room, looking for something. Anything.

Her eyes landed on a large yellowy waxed candle, its tapered sides twirling up and ending in a large wick. She blinked and stepped towards it. It would work in the movies, wouldn't it?

Nodding to herself, she headed back into the front room, hoping they'd see it. Hoping they'd understand. Hoping she'd remembered the order correctly.

A moment later she returned the candle, stepped through the opening, picked up her bundles and disappeared into the stormy afternoon.


	10. Chapter 10

Evan's first thought was that he didn't remember falling asleep.

His second thought was that he definitely didn't remember falling asleep on the ground. And a cold ground at that.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling… wooden slats. Walls. Wood. Boxes. Crates. Storage?

He sat up quickly, his brain sucker punching the inside of his skull with the remnants of whatever hell they'd been drugged with.

"Ouch." Williams groaned, rolling over beside him.

Evan shoved Edison, who was sprawled out face down, near his feet.

Edison grunted.

"Wakie, wakie sunshine." Williams poked him when the Lieutenant closed his eyes again.

"What the hell?" Edison glared, then his eyes widened as he realized where he was. Or rather. Where he wasn't. "Where are we?"

"Better yet, how'd we get here?" Williams added. "Last thing I remember is eating…" he trailed off.

"Yeah…" Evan moved slowly to his feet. "Next time I vote we pass on the soup." He looked around. "Where's the Doc?"

Heads turned.

"Just us." Williams shook his head quickly. "Maybe they left her?"

Evan didn't want to answer that so he left it alone. Maybe she was fine. And maybe she wasn't. Either way they weren't going to get any answers in here.

"Where are we?" Edison looked around.

Evan glanced at the walls and ceiling. "No windows. And either the storm is over, or we're below ground. My guess? Someone's cellar.

Once on their feet they eyed the crates and supplies stacked against the walls around them. As a unit they moved to stand in front of a jail-like grid of iron bars. In front of them they could see a narrow hallway that disappeared around a sharp corner.

Edison rattled the bars. "Hey!" He shouted out into the corridor, but his yell was met with silence.

Evan eyed the lock set in the door. "Who's got what?"

Edison and Williams both withdrew knives from their boots. Clothes may have changed, but boots remained. Evan nodded, knowing he had his blade as well.

"Those won't get us out." He nodded towards the crates. "Start digging. See what we can come up with."

"Why'd they drug the soup?" Edison asked as he dug into one of the crates, lifting up several packages of seed. He dropped them in disgust. "I thought we were supposed to be friends with these people?"

"Who knows." Williams ripped into a second crate, pulling out spools of thread. "And who cares." He dropped the lid in disgust and moved to the next crate. "As long as we get out of here."

A few minutes later they'd pretty much written off the boxes as any help, unless they wanted to eat themselves a way out.

"Well," Edison sighed, frustrated. "We won't starve to death."

"Someone's coming." Evan quickly dropped his knife into his boot and stood up, moving away from the lock he'd been digging at.

Williams and Edison joined him at the bars.

Marna moved around the corner, stopping when she saw them all staring at her. She hesitated, her fingers reaching to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"Marna." Evan reached for the bars.

There was something in the woman's expression. She wasn't… sad… The tears were… anger. Frustration. The woman was royally pissed off.

"What's… going on?" He asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

Marna stepped forward, her fingers trembling as she reached into the pocket of her cloak.

Evan tensed and felt both Lieutenants react in kind.

When she withdrew her hand, all three men instantly recognized the weapon she gripped tightly between he fingers.

A wrath stunner.

"Okay." Edison muttered under his breath. "Didn't see that coming."

Marna pointed the stunner at them and each man took a step back.

Evan raised his hands, palms out. "Uh, Marna. You really should be careful with that."

"How did you do it?" Marna's eyes narrowed. "How did you move everything so quickly? You have others here?" She stepped forward, wriggling the stunner back and forth.

Evan wasn't really sure she knew how to use it… but didn't want to find out either. "Marna." He tried again. "Why don't you just… tell us what this is all about?"

"Marna!" A hissed whisper from the end of the corridor.

Marna turned to face a cloaked woman. Yanking back her hood, Inta strode quickly towards her sister.

"What are you doing?!" Inta looked shocked. "Why are they here?"

"She's gone." Marna turned towards her sister. "They're up to something! They've done something to her."

"Done something to who?" Evan asked, but his question went unheeded as the two women began to argue.

"Who's gone?" Inta asked, her forehead wrinkled with confusion. "Oh, the Ancients! Where did you get that?" She stared in horror at the stunner in her sister's hands.

"The woman." Marna hissed, wriggling the stunner behind her. "They've done something to her. He said they couldn't be trusted."

"Who's done what to her?!" Evan asked loudly. "To who? Where's Dr. Keller?"

"Marna." Inta grabbed her sister's arm and turned her back around. Her voice climbed in volume with each question. "What are you talking about? What are they doing here? Why are they locked in the storage room? What's going on?!"

"She was in no condition to leave." Marna shook her head stubbornly.

"Who?" Inta asked. "Who's in no condition? Marna, what are you talking about?"

"Their doctor." Marna answered.

"What do you mean, no condition?" Evan asked sharply.

Marna pointed the stunner at Evan. "She's gone, and so are their weapons. I knew they couldn't be trusted."

"Damn it, Marna." Inta stepped in front of her sister, blocking the stunner. "Put that thing away before you hurt someone."

"They're going to spoil everything!" Marna wailed.

"Look." Evan stepped forward and reached for the bars. "Why don't you tell us what's going on and maybe we can help."

"Oh you'll help all right!" Marna hissed, trying to step around her sister.

Inta blocked her path. "Marna! Please! Tell me what's going on."

"We're trading them." A voice sounded from the end of the hallway.

Marna and Inta turned to face the newcomer.

"Turne?" Inta frowned and stepped towards her husband. "Trading them? Trading them for what? I… I don't understand." She glanced between her sister and her husband.

"Inta." He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry. I know. I tried to keep you out of it. I did." He stopped in front of his wife, tucking her dark hair in behind her ear. "I did not want you to think any less of me. But it is for the best."

"Turne." Inta shook her head. "What are you talking about? These people are our friends. Why have you locked them up?"

"We're trading them for Byron." Marna smiled triumphantly and walked past her sister to stand next to Turne.

"Marna." Inta said softly, shaking her head. "Byron… Byron is dead."

"He's not!" Marna stepped forward, waving the stunner threateningly. "Don't say that!" He's just… different. He recognized me! I know he did. He promised he'd fix him… return him to me… all I had to do was tell him if the Lantians came back."

"Marna." Inta stepped back, her hand to her throat in horror. "Tell me you didn't make a deal with a… a… a Wraith! You can not possibly trust him!"

"I did." Marna nodded, looking at Turne. "And I do."

"It's not too late!" Inta stepped back towards the bars. "Let them go. Please, Marna. Stop this foolishness. Let them go before it's too late."

Turne pulled a palm-sized object from his pocket. It was small and oblong, coated in dark purplish skin. All eyes fell to the pulsing red light in the middle.

"Oh, shit." Edison muttered, his eyes locked on the beacon. "Is that…"

"Wraith tech." Williams frowned.

"Long range transmitter." Evan added. "And it's activated."

"Oh, husband." Inta shook her head sadly, tears welling in her eyes. "What have you done?"

"I am sorry, dear wife." Turne tilted his head sadly. "Perhaps some day you will forgive me. Until then… I… _we_… can only spare you from having to see the rest."

Turne nodded at Marna.

Marna pulled the trigger on the stunner, blasting her sister in the abdomen.

Jen slid the TAC vests to the floor, hoping to god she could keep herself from falling over. Marna had returned to the house, and had left in a fury within seconds. She'd been so angry she hadn't noticed Jen following her through the narrow alley and into the small building behind. It was some kind of store, with items stacked and piled on shelves and behind display cases.

Marna had run to the back, down a set of stairs, and disappeared.

When the front door opened, Jen ducked behind a large pile of feed grain, holding her breath as Inta rushed past, chasing her sister.

Then she'd almost made it to the stairs when the door opened again, and she'd had to hide in a broom closet to let Turne pass by.

As soon as the man had disappeared down the stairs, Jen took a deep breath and moved to follow, hoping the parade was finished. She could hear the voices clearly, and hoped to god it was her fever talking, and she wasn't really hearing what she was hearing.

Because Marna had made a deal with the devil himself.

_Michael_.

And Michael was on his way here.

Jen had to think of something. Maybe if she could offer up a distraction. Something to give Evan a chance to do… well… to do something.

She lowered the TAC vests slowly to the floor, and freed her arms. Standing up slowly, she closed her eyes and took several slow, deep breaths.

Jamming the heel of her hand against her throbbing temple, she rubbed hard and wished she could kill off the pressure long enough to move without falling over.

The distinguished sound of a blaster discharging made her jump.

She peered quickly around the corner, in time to see Turne holding his wife, and Marne holding a blaster. Jen leaned back and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the cold wooden wall. With another breath she peered again.

Evan, Williams and Edison were in some kind of storage area. Behind bars? Locked in?

Oh crap.

She leaned back.

"It's time to go." Marne's voice floated down the hallway.

Not good. Jen rolled her forehead along the wall. Not good at all. She had to move. And she had to move now. Marne had a stunner, but she couldn't see Turne's hands. If he had a stunner… two blasts… maybe she could distract one of them, which meant that at least two of Evan's team should be able to take them down. Worst case scenario, Jen would have a nice nap and forget about the fact that she felt like complete shit.

Well, okay, maybe worst case would be that Turne had a gun, not a stunner, and she'd end up with a bullet and not a nap.

The sound of keys jingling brought her around.

Time's up.

She angled her head around the corner. Turne was laying his wife in the corner, while Marne waved Evan, Williams and Edison back from the door. When Turne straightened, he was holding only the transmitter. No weapon.

That she could see.

Marne opened the door.

Jen stepped slowly around the corner.

She pushed her hood back, and the motion made her head swim. She shouldered the wall, and took a deep breath, waiting for the room to tilt back to a more reasonable angle.

She saw Evan's body tense and knew he'd seen her, but he wasn't watching her. Not directly.

He stepped out the open door and moved several feet to the side, effectively splitting Marne's blaster between him, and Edison, who was now in the doorway.

Jen took another step closer. Then another.

She was almost directly behind Turne when Marna finally noticed movement and spun towards her.

Edison dove at Marne, yanking the blaster away while trapping her arm, much to the woman's vocally shrieking dismay.

Jen drew her arm back and at the same time as Evan grabbed Turne's shoulder, she let fly with a perfect right cross, smacking her tightly scrunched knuckles into the man's face.

Unfortunately the she also spun herself right around with it.

Turne staggered, grabbing for his now very bloody nose, and found his chin on the receiving end of Evan's fist, coming in from the other direction.

He didn't get up.

Jen made a complete circle, and the weight of the weapons still hanging at her back swung her around another half turn. Her mind kept going in a dead-end spin and she hit the wall dizzily and slid down, landing hard on the bundled blanket.

"Ow…" She muttered, closing her eyes with a frustrated sigh.

"Help!" Marna screamed, her voice echoing through the tiny space. "Let go of me!" She wailed at Edison, her fingers clawing for his face while she struggled to get away.

Evan grabbed the stunner from Edison and fired.

"Thank god." Edison muttered, catching Marna and placing her on the ground next to her sister.

Evan knelt on the floor next to Jen. "You okay Doc?"

Jen shook her head. "Well… not really."

Evan's hand landed against her forehead, his palm beautifully cool. She pressed his cold skin against hers and sighed. "Oh, that feels good."

"Shit, Doc." He muttered. "You're burning up."

"I know." Jen nodded, releasing his fingers and opening her eyes, giving Evan a barely-there glare. "Now help me up. Your P90's are jabbing my tailbone."


	11. Chapter 11

Jumper parking was at a premium in the heavily forested area, and John ended up having to put down almost a full click from the village.

As they moved quickly over the slippery ground towards the far side of the houses, he thanked whatever lucky charm someone had that the storm seemed to be falling off. The cloud cover abated slightly, giving them more light to work with. It was still gray and miserable, but at least now it was passable. Although the leaves on the trees were still incredibly thick and wet, and every time someone brushed past a branch they were painted with water. The entire team was now just as drenched as Ronon – without having taken a dip.

The life signs detector apparently didn't appreciate the water, and the atmospheric unrest was giving it issue. Either way they were still unable to get a clear reading other than to note that the population of the village was all, well, in the village. Normally it wouldn't have been a concern… but no one from Lorne's team was answering their radios.

_Not usually a good sign._

They reached the village common area and found it empty, everyone having most likely taken refuge inside from the storm. As they moved through the small village, the sound of raucous laughter reached their ears and they followed it to a small building on the far side.

"When in doubt, find the tavern." He shrugged, pushing open the front door.

Lit with candles and torches set in sconces along the wall, and heated by a roaring far in the hearth at the back, the little tavern was filled to capacity. The inside was small, and each of the four tiny tables were jammed with fists holding mugs of some local brew. People leaned against the walls, stood talking in groups, milling about, and generally finding room where they could.

Laughter hiccuped and died as the patrons stopped their conversation, and turned to stare at the newcomers.

"Uh… hello." John nodded, watching the wary stares of the tavern goers.

Ronon brushed past and moved to the bar, leaning his elbow on the surface to turn to stare at the crowd. Everyone seemed to ignore him in favor of watching the three people in uniform, and the large guns they carried.

"Ah! Teyla Emmagen!" Came a shout from the far corner. "You look a little wet!"

Teyla smiled, angling her head to see who'd made the comment, but the room was too full. The comment sent a roar of laughter through the entire tavern and as suddenly as the conversation stopped, it started up again, and everyone went back to where they were.

"Well that was interesting." John glanced at Teyla, who shrugged. Moving towards Ronon, who was in conversation with the bartender, John was followed first by Teyla, then Rodney, then Sanchez.

"Says he saw our people this morning when they arrived." Ronon turned towards John.

"Did they come back through here?" John leaned forward, and addressed the portly man.

The bartender shook his head. "I did not see them return. Once the rains come… well… as you can see… I'm a little busy."

"Your friends…" A buxom brunette with a revealing top sashayed up between John and Rodney. "Were they… dressed like you?" She smiled directly at John.

Rodney rolled his eyes.

"Yes." John turned towards the woman and the very low-cut dress. _Eyes up, Sheppard._

"I saw them." She tilted her head to the side.

"Leave them alone, Nina." The bartender scowled. "If you know where they're friends are, just tell them. It's a nasty day to be caught outside."

Nina scowled at the bartender and let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I saw your friends with Inta when the storm cruxed. But her house is empty."

"Inta?" John looked to the bartender for confirmation.

The bartender nodded. "Inta's husband, Turne, is on our village council. If someone needed assistance he'd provide it. He may have given your friends shelter from the weather."

Nina shook her head. "There was no one there when I went by to see if _I_… could be of any… _assistance_." She smiled suggestively at John. "I could… um… _escort_ you, if you'd like?"

"Nina!" The bartender growled. "Get back to work."

Nina glared across the bar, then turned a bright smile on John before backing slowly away. "Well… You know where to find me…"

"Edge of town. Second house at the back." The bartender said quickly to John. "Has a maroon front door."

"Thanks." John rapped the bar twice with his knuckles, then turned towards the others. "Let's go."

* * *

"I'll just sleep here." Jen muttered from her position on the floor in the basement corridor.

"No go, Jen." Evan ducked his head under Jen's right arm and pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his left arm around her waist to keep her steady, he stood up slowly, taking her with him.

"Whoo." Jen exhaled as the room tilted crazily. Her left hand automatically clutched her stomach as it rolled over.

Evan's fingers tightened against her hip and she inhaled slowly.

"Okay?" Evan watched her carefully.

She nodded slowly.

With Williams and Edison on point, Evan helped Jen down the corridor.

He couldn't take the chance that Michael or his hybrids knew about the cellar. Jen wouldn't be on her feet long, but she couldn't stay here. They needed to find someplace safe to hide her. She was too sick to be running around in a damn hurricane.

Without communication, they had no way of knowing if Sanchez had even made it back to the gate to begin with. Anything could have happened – including Michael.

But communication wasn't an option when your radio spent fifteen minutes underwater. Jen brought the units with her, but the gallon of water that drained out when he picked his up pretty much told Evan that any contact with Atlantis was going to be in person only.

Until he knew differently, he was going on the deduction that they were on their own.

"That was a nice hook you threw." He offered, hoping to keep her talking. Keep her awake. Keep her moving.

Jen snorted, and fought to get her feet to cooperate.

"Laura said it would come in handy." She added.

"Laura?" Evan stopped before the turn, waiting until Williams waved the all clear. "Thought Ronon was giving you lessons."

"Not any more." Jen shook her head against his shoulder. "Ronon hates me."

She stumbled and he pulled her upright again, pausing to let her gain her bearings before they tackled the staircase.

Evan glanced at her face, concerned with her pale pallor. He guided her towards the stairs.

"Hates you, huh."

She nodded. "Said something stupid. Can't take it back. Won't talk to me now."

"He talks?" Evan smiled, reaching the bottom step.

Jen's fingers gripped the railing so tightly her knuckles were white. Not that they had much color at the moment anyway.

"Used to. To me. Been two weeks now." She sighed.

Evan pulled her up the first step.

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you."

"Does." She muttered, not caring how childish it sounded.

He paused on the top step until Williams and Edison checked the area above. On Edison's clear, they moved up the last step.

The top room was some kind of general store, with displays and stacks of items placed strategically about the building. Evan helped her sit down onto a stack of flour next to the display case.

Jen dropped her arms to her side and slid herself slowly to the floor. Resting her head on her arms, she closed her eyes and curled into a ball, tucking her legs up under the oversized wrap.

Williams and Edison took sentry positions beside the front door, angling a look out the front windows into the narrow alley.

Evan moved behind the counter, fingering the sheer drape to the side so he could see out along the side of the building. Rain still fell, but the volume was no where near as torrential as before, and judging from the lack of roaring, the wind had calmed as well.

Williams glanced at the Major. Evan moved towards the Lieutenant.

"We can't be moving her around." Williams shook his head.

"Can't leave her here." Edison replied from the far side of the window.

"That transmitter still flashing?" Evan angled his chin at Williams.

"Apparently. Shouldn't we destroy it?" The lieutenant asked, as he removed the small device from his pocket and handed it to Evan.

"Damage has already been done." Evan shook his head, and tucked the scanner into his vest. "Besides. McKay might be able to work his magic with it. Reverse engineer it or something."

"How much time you think we have?" Williams asked.

Evan shook his head. "If Marna was telling the truth? About half an hour."

"To get to the lab." Edison finished.

"The one we destroyed." Williams shrugged. "Maybe he'll think we're trapped inside and go home."

"Yeah, 'cept for the big hole in the roof we left." Edison frowned.

"He might not notice." Williams suggested.

"Doesn't matter either way." Evan shook his head. "We have no idea how many hybrids he's bringing with him. We might be able to take them out, or we might just piss him off. We can't pass up the opportunity to take him down, but we can't afford to walk into a trap. We can't leave the Doc, and we can't take her with us."

"Catch-22." Edison shook his head.

Evan ran his hand across his face and turned to look back at Jen, still curled tightly in a ball on the cold, wooden floor. His mind raced through scenarios, and he couldn't come up with a single thing that wasn't going to get one, or all of them killed.

"Okay." He nodded. "Michael will find the lab in lockdown. He'll do one of two things. Leave…"

"Good…" Edison said hopefully.

"Or come to town." Evan finished.

"Not so good." Edison shook his head.

"So we'll wait."

"Wait." Williams brow furrowed.

"He's not going to come blasting into town if he thinks we're dead in the lab." Evan angled his head towards the basement stairs. "He's going to come looking for his friends."

"And when he does?"

"We'll be waiting." Evan nodded, then turned to check on Jen.

"Why do I get the feeling this is not going to end well?" Edison muttered.

"Because you're a half-empty kind of guy." Williams turned back towards the window and parted the edge of the curtain, his eye scanning narrow alley. "I however, prefer to think of the glass as half full."

"Of booze, maybe." Edison snorted, taking up position against the opposite window.

"Now you're talking." Williams grinned, glancing hopefully around at the crates in the store.

"Is that all you think about?" Edison laughed.

"No." Williams looked offended. "Well. Maybe."

Leaving them on sentry duty, Evan ignored their half-assed conversation and moved further into the store, looking around for something he could use to get Jen off the cold floor. But aside from small sacks of feed grain and an assortment of cooking supplies, he couldn't find anything remotely useful.

He moved back to Jen and knelt beside her. When he placed hishand against her forehead she sighed, letting out a soft moan. The temperature of her skin quickly seared his palm.

"Damn, Jen." He whispered. _Shit. She was really hot._

"Go away." She muttered, with a small shake to her head, flipping her hand weakly.

"Jen?" He pushed the hair away from her face. "It's Evan. Can you open your eyes for me?"

She smirked and made a soft sound.

He asked her a second time, and then a third before she finally complied. Rolling her head slightly, she blinked open her eyes then winced, shutting them again.

"Come on, Jen. Lemme see those eyes."

She squinted, and frowned up at him in confusion.

"Evan?" She blinked slowly.

"It's me." He frowned, not bothering to hide his concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Run over." She snorted, shaking her head.

Evan didn't like the glassy stare any more than he liked the heat radiating off her.

She gave him a barely-there smile and closed her eyes again. "God my head hurts."

"Yeah, I bet it does." He said softly.

He switched hands, placing his left on her forehead. She smiled and let out a soft grunt. "Better." She mumbled, her voice cracking.

Evan caught Williams and Edison's worried glance from the front of the store and he shook his head.

This wasn't good.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's note** - The plot bunnies are killing me here! :P It's gone from a simple rainstorm mishap to an evil-villagers kidnapping with Michael on the way. Who knew things could get out of hand so quickly! I feel like I should be tagging each chapter with one of those old Bat-man endings... Will our hero's get out of the rain? Will Jen recover from her bout of the Flu? Will SGA1 show up with Nyquil? Tune in next week... Nah. Can't make you wait that long. Here's the next installment! :) - Nika_

* * *

John found the house without problem, but there was no answer. The front door was unlocked and after a quick sweep of the interior, they noted that there was no sign of Evan or the others.

Standing in a circle outside Inta's door, they glanced around at the surrounding houses.

"So now what?" Rodney stared at the scanner. He gave it a shake, stared at the screen, shook it again, stared, and gave up with a sigh. Dropping it back into the pocket of his TAC vest he looked at the others.

"Could they have gone back to the gate?" Teyla asked.

John shrugged. "It's possible. We can try dialing the DHD from the jumper, see if they've returned."

"They knew I was headed for reinforcements." Sanchez shook his head. "More likely they would have waited out the storm somewhere."

"Yeah, well… somewhere isn't here…" Rodney glared up at the cloudy sky, the looked at the cluster of small buildings. "It's a damn postage stamp. How hard could it be?"

"Rodney… you and Sanchez head back to the jumper." John ordered, his eyes scanning the houses next door. "See what you can do to get those scanners working. Ronon, Teyla, you're… with… me…" he trailed off, moving several feet away.

"John?" Teyla glanced curiously at Ronon before stepping after the Colonel.

John walked towards a darkened house two doors over from Inta's. There was no light coming from inside, but something reflected off the large window next to the faded green door. Something... out of place. Something...

He hesitated, then ducked quckly around the corner of an adjacent building, waving everyone down. Teyla followed in a crouch, as did the others.

John ushered everyone into the shadows.

"What's going on?" Rodney asked, his eyes wide. He grabbed his M9 and held it next to his hip. "What's wrong?"

"Sanchez." John nodded at the Captain. "Front window. What do you see?"

Sanchez switched places with John along the front edge of the building and peered around the corner.

"Shit." Sanchez muttered, falling back into the alley.

"What?" Teyla glanced around the corner, but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

"SOS." Sanchez nodded at John.

"SOS?" Teyla shook her head.

"Morse Code." John explained. "On the glass of the window. Three dots, three dashes, three dots."

"International distress signal." Sanchez added.

"International distress signal?" Teyla repeated.

"It's a call for help." Rodney said quietly.

"Ronon, Telya." John ordered. "Around the back. Look for another door, any way in. Wait for my signal."

Ronon grabbed his blaster and ran down the length of the building quickly followed by Teyla.

"Sanchez, McKay. You're with me."

* * *

Evan traded his time between digging through the shelves for any useful supplies, and checking on Jen, who was sleeping restlessly, trapped within her feverish dreams.

She needed water, drugs, and warmth, and they were things things they didn't have in the chilled air of the closed store. Marna's deal made it impossible to ask the villagers for help because there was no way of knowing who was on what side. He couldn't chance it.

"Major." Williams called, his tone sharp as he angled himself closer to the window. Gripping his P90, the Lieutenant peered out into the rain. "We've got movement."

Evan stood up, his heart and mind quickly slamming themselves into combat mode. _Michael_.

Then Edison snorted, and looked over his shoulder at Evan. "Ronon."

Williams relaxed, his face splitting into a grin. "Well it's about freekin' time."

Evan moved to the window, watching Ronon and Teyla banking around the back of the house two doors over.

"They look wet." Edison smiled. "Should we invite them in?"

"Do it." Evan ordered. "Quietly. We have no idea who Marna's working with."

Williams reached for the door handle and cracked it open. He whistled softly.

Ronon spun and aimed, his eyes immediately moving to the waving figure in the doorway a few buildings over. He tapped Teyla on the shoulder, pulling her away from the narrow window she was about to climb through.

"Lieutenant Williams." Teyla whispered to Ronon. She reached for her com. "John. We have them. Two buildings behind this one."

Teyla heard the sound of wood splintering both in her ear, and through the open window beside her. "Oh sure." John sighed over the radio. "Now you tell me."

Ronon quickly crossed the alley and ducked into the open doorway, followed immediately by Teyla. He quickly scanned the room, moving past Edison and Williams, to Evan, then to Jennifer.

Evan saw the sudden flash of panic pass through Ronon's eyes before it was hidden just as quickly.

"What the hell happened?" Ronon took two quick strides and squatted next to Jennifer, who was still curled up on her side. Teyla dropped to the floor beside him, her hand immediately reaching to grab the Doctor's limp fingers.

"She is very hot." Teyla whispered, her concerned gaze moving from Evan to Ronon.

"She's pretty sick." Evan dropped to one knee and placed his hand against Jen's forehead. Her skin was pale and clammy, and she let out a tiny moan of displeasure when he took his hand away. She frowned, and blinked open her eyes.

Rolling her head a few inches, she stared, unblinking, up at Evan. Her eyes were glassy and dull, and he wasn't sure if she was really even awake.

"We need drugs." Evan looked from Ronon to Teyla. "Tylenol."

Ronon shook his head. He had nothing.

"McKay should have something." Teyla nodded.

at the sound of Teyla's voice, Jen rolled her head and twisted her shoulders, her eyes moving slowly from Evan to the the Athosian.

"Jennifer." Teyla smiled. "You are going to be fine." Teyla clasped Jen's left hand tightly between her own. "We will get you back to Atlantis as soon as we can."

"Atlantis?" Jen frowned, then rolled her head further until she could see Ronon.

"It's a long way..." She whispered.

Ronon glanced worriedly between Teyla and Evan. Evan shook his head.

Jen's right hand lifted slowly, reaching towards the leather gauntlet around Ronon's wrist. Then she sighed and her hand dropped to her side. "Can I go home now?" She asked him, her voice soft and pleading.

Ronon stood with a growl, turning towards the door as Sheppard, McKay, and Sanchez stepped through.

"McKay." Ronon yanked Rodney into the room.

"What… hey!" Rodney frowned, clearly suspicious. Then Rodney's eyes moved past Ronon to Evan and the woman on the floor.

"Ohmygod." Rodney exhaled, shrugging out of his pack, leaving it hanging in Ronon's hand as he moved past. "Is that Jennifer? What happened? Is she okay?"

John followed Rodney and dropped to his knees next to Jennifer. He rolled her slowly onto her back, his fingers brushing the hair away from her face. He cursed to feel the temperature of her skin. She muttered and her eyes fluttered open briefly before closing again.

"What the hell happened?" John glared up at Evan.

Evan almost rolled his eyes at the very Ronon-like expression the Colonel was giving him. Instead he chose the moment to ignore his Commanding Officer's question in favor of a different one.

"McKay." Evan grabbed the knapsack from Ronon and handed it back to Rodney, who was kneeling on the floor next to the Colonel. "You have water and Tylenol in there?"

"What?" Rodney tore his eyes away from Jen and stared up at Evan.

"Water. Drugs." Evan repeated. "She needs something to help bring down the fever."

Rodney nodded frantically. "Yes. Of course. Of course." He ripped into the top pocket and rummaged around, his voice fast. "Always carry painkillers. Never know when you might…" He held up a water bottle, which Teyla quickly grabbed. "Need to use them in this galaxy… germs… disease… mosquitoes the size of… here." Rodney then held up a small blister-pack.

Teyla held her hand open, and Rodney dropped the pills into her palm.

John straightened and stepped away, moving with Evan to a corner. While they watched Teyla crush the pills in a bowl with the water, Evan did his best to explain what was goign on. With Rodney's holding her head, they coerced Jennifer into drinking it. Ronon stood between them and Jennifer, close enough to hear as Evan relayed the events of their day.

"Shit." John cursed as soon as the Major finished. Rubbing his hand over his jaw he considered their options.

The jumper was well over a mile away, and Jen was in no condition to walk. She could easily be carried, but it was raining - not exactly prime weather for moving someone who was already quite ill. Then of course they'd risk getting caught in the open, or ambushed, since Michael was on his way with god-knows-how-many hybrids, expecting to take possession of several Atlantian team members. Plus they had no idea who out of the villagers was loyal to who, and no idea what Michael would do when he found the lab destroyed and his trade agreement reneged.

"Shit." John muttered again.

"Shit. Evan agreed.

"We need to get her out of here." Ronon turned to John.

"Agreed." John nodded, then frowned when he heard a single beep.

"Where'd you park?" Evan asked.

Another beep.

John stepped away from Evan and into the middle of the room. "What is that?"

Another beep.

"McKay." John moved towards Rodney.

"What?" Rodney looked up, his hands still cradling Jennifer's head as Teyla helped the half-asleep Doctor sip the last of the Tylenol-water.

Beep.

"You're beeping."

Beep.

Rodney looked down at his vest, a frown furrowing his brown. He dug into his TAC vest, yanking out the scanner. "Ah-ha!" He gave it a little shake. "It's working."

Beep.

Rodney stared at the screen. "Oh crap." He lifted his head, and looked directly at John.

"What?" John exhaled, knowing that look on McKay's face could mean only one thing.

Bad just got worse.

"Wraith dart." Rodney exhaled.

A snort and a giggle from Jen and everyone looked down. "Wraith dart." She whispered with a half smile. Then she slowly lifted her hand and wriggled her fingers in the air above her face for a brief moment before her eyes rolled closed and her hand dropped to her chest.

"Evan wins."


	13. Chapter 13

"We need to move." John turned quickly to the Major, his mind honing in on a plan.

So far Rodney's scanner only detected one dart. One dart with a very big holding tank. Good news or bad, one was one, and one they'd deal with.

"Teyla." John turned towards the Athosian. "Head back to the tavern. See if the bartender's a friend. If he's on the up and up, find us a room."

Teyla turned and moved quickly to the door.

"Ronon. Go with her." John ordered.

Ronon glanced quickly at Jen then back to the Colonel. John nodded, conveying his assurance in a glance. Ronon spun on his heel and followed Teyla out into the alley.

"Sanchez." John turned towards the Captain. "Take Williams to the jumper and bring her back. Stay above the square and keep her cloaked."

"Roger that." Sanchez responded, leading his team mate out into the misty weather.

"Edison, you've got the door."

Edison nodded and took up his post next to the front window.

"Rodney." John nodded towards the scientist, who was sitting on the floor next to Jen. "Keep an eye on the Doc." Then he moved towards the back hallway. "The Major and I are going to talk to our guests."

Downstairs, John approached the bars, his progression warily watched by a middle aged man sporting a bruised and swollen nose. The Colonel glanced sideways at Evan.

The Major shrugged then grinned. "Cadman's been teaching the Doc her signature right cross."

John snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Doc did that?"

Evan nodded. "Got our asses out."

John stepped to the bars as the man stood. Two women – who John assumed to be Marna and her sister, Inta, still lay on the floor of the storage area, unmoving.

"Turne." Evan frowned at the man. "Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard."

Turne blinked, his eyes shifting from Evan to John then back again. "You did not come to release us." He surmised, his voice falling.

John stepped closer, glaring at the man behind the bars. "Who else in the village is in on your little trade agreement? Tell me the truth, and we'll see you're left to whatever local punishment is appropriate. Lie to me," John lowered his chin. "And I'll see to it Michael knows _exactly_ where to find you. Because I assure you, he's not going to be happy when he finds out he came all this way for nothing."

Turne blanched, and swallowed hard. He stared at the floor and the two women before turning back to John. "You would not turn us over! My wife… she has done nothing wrong!"

"Who else?" John asked again.

"They will send us away." Turne whined. "We will be forced to leave our homes."

John turned towards Evan, excluding Turne from the conversation. "Which one tried to help?"

Evan nodded at the woman with the long black hair. "Inta."

"We'll take her topside. Make sure the villagers know she had nothing to do with it and tried to stop them."

"And these two?" Evan ignored Turne's horrified gasp.

"Leave them for Michael." John turned to leave.

"Wait!" Turne grabbed the bars. "Please."

John paused, then turned back around, watching the man expectantly.

"There are no others. You have to believe me." Turne pleaded.

"And why would I do that?" John frowned. "You've made a deal with a Wraith."

"No." Turne shook his head. "Marna made the deal. This Wraith. The one you call Michael. He has taken several men from our village. One of them Marna's husband, Byron. They are… changed… different…"

"Hybrids." Evan added.

"Marne and Inta saw Byron return through the gate while they were out hunting. He did not recognize her. He did not recognize any of us. But Marne followed him. I told her it was not wise, but she went. Her husband…" Turne sighed. "This Michael… he caught her. He offered her a deal for her life. For her life and for Byron's life."

Turne glanced down at the two women, then turned back towards John and Evan. "Lanteans for her husband. If any came to visit, we were to detain you, and contact him using the small device you saw. I agreed to help. I agreed to help only because Michael swore he would not touch anyone else in our village if we went along with his plan."

John glanced at Evan. Plausible. Michael wouldn't be hard pressed to turn a woman against them if it meant getting her husband back. And blackmail wasn't beneath him either. Unfortunately, what Marna didn't realize, was a simple rule of thumb. Michael lied. He had no reason to release Byron, and would most likely kill Marna regardless. And Turne's villagers were in even more danger now than they were before. Michael wasn't going to appreciate finding his lab destroyed and no Atlanteans to claim.

John stared hard at Turne, watching the man's expression as he squirmed, his fingers gripping the bars tightly.

"No one else in the village is part of this?" John asked again.

Turne shook his head violently, his eyes wide.

"Who else knows?" Evan asked.

"Only Inta." Turne sighed softly, glancing down at his sleeping wife. "Although I tried to keep her out of it."

John glanced at Evan, and the Major shrugged. Turne looked like a man who'd just lost his last chance at life. And he very well might have.

John nodded. "What were you supposed to do when Michael arrived?"

Turne looked hopeful. "The device. The device will change color. When it flashes green, we were to take you to the shallows. He said he would meet us there."

"Shallows?" Evan asked, pulling the transmitter out of his pocket. It was still blinking a dull, blood red. He handed it to John.

Turne nodded. "The shallows is a rise in the land. A sacred place for my people. Baren. No plants will grow there. But on a clear day you can easily see all the way to the gate."

"No place to hide." Evan glanced at the Colonel.

"No place to set up an ambush, either." John nodded. He turned towards Evan, the edge of a smirk twisting the corner of his mouth. "Unless…"

"You're invisible?" Evan finished with his own grin, then he narrowed his eyes. "You've got that look again."

"What look?" John feigned innocence.

"_That_ look.

"This look?" John raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Evan nodded. "That look."

"Hey. I like this look." John frowned.

"I don't." Evan shook his head. "It always means twice as much paperwork, a trip to the infirmary, and a really, really long debriefing with Woolsey."

John grinned, and clasped Evan on the shoulder. He turned them around, and moved towards the end of the hallway. "What's your take on fishing, _Major_?"

"Depends, _Colonel_." Evan angled his head, falling in beside him. "What kind of fish are we catching?"

"Wraith hybrids."

"And what kind of bait are we using?"

"You." John finished smugly, turning the corner and heading towards the stairs.

"And here I am without my fishing hat." Evan shook his head sadly.

"I'll buy you a new one." John nodded, giving Evan a quick toe-to-head once over. "Maybe it will even match the, ah… new uniform."

Evan looked down at the roughly hewn trousers and dark knitted sweater he wore beneath his TAC vest. "What, you don't like?"

"I'm sure Woolsey will love it." John nodded, taking the stairs two at a time. "It's very urban-chique."

"_Chique_?" Evan snorted, following John up the stairs. "Coming from you that word just sounds… wrong."

"Why?" John frowned over his shoulder. "I happen to have a very balanced vocabulary."

"Swear words don't count." Evan replied.

John snorted, and moved through the store towards the front. He stopped next to Rodney and Jennifer.

"How is she?" John glanced down.

"Quiet." Rodney looked up, his eyes conveying the worry his words didn't.

John frowned. For Rodney not to want to describe things in detail was a worry in itself. He handed Rodney the transmitter. "See what you can do with this."

Rodney took the transmitter. "Is this…"

"Yup." John nodded.

"Right." Rodney exhaled. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

Edison straightened and moved towards the front door. "They're back."

Teyla entered, followed by an older woman with deeply graying hair. Ronon stepped in last, closing the door behind him.

"This is Shin." Teyla nodded. "The tavern-keeper's wife. She has kindly offered use of her home until our… transportation... arrives."

"Teyla said your friend is very ill." The woman nodded at John, who'd stepped forward. Shin leaned to the side, noting Jennifer's sleeping form on the floor next to Rodney. "Her needs will be better met in a warm bed than a cold floor."

John glanced at Teyla, who nodded.

"Thanks." John turned back to Shin. "We appreciate the help." Then he turned and knelt on the floor beside Jen. God she looked pale. Her skin was waxy and drawn, and her chest barely moved, her breathing was so shallow.

"Doc?" He leaned closer.

No movement.

He reached for her cheek, slipped his fingers in around the back of her neck, and gently tilted her head. "Jennifer?" He tried again.

Jen's eyes fluttered open, the weight of her head resting solely in his hand. She blinked at him, a glassy stare through unseeing eyes.

"We need to move you." He said quietly, wondering if she was even understanding it was him. "Found you a nice, warm bed."

She let out a soft sound, half-smiled, then closed her eyes again.

He lowered her head, and stood, turning to Ronon. "Give Edison your radio."

Ronon stared.

"What?" John made a face. "It's not like you ever use the damn thing."

"Point." Rodney muttered from the floor, his tablet sitting in his lap. He'd plugged the transmitter into his laptop and was scrolling through menu screens.

Ronon shrugged with smirk, then removed his radio, handing it to the Lieutenant.

John stepped up to Edison. "You'll stay with the Doc. We don't want any more… surprises."

"Understood." Edison hooked the com unit over his ear and backed towards the front door.

Ronon stepped forward, knelt, hooked one arm under Jennifer's knees, then slid his other arm slowly beneath her neck. When he stood, the movement barely registered. She didn't utter a sound. Ronon turned towards Edison who was holding the door open. He stepped out after Shin, and was closely followed by the Lieutenant.

Teyla moved to go after them but John stayed her, his hand resting briefly on her upper arm. "As soon as you have her situated I need both of you back here. This is going to go down fast and hard, and we're almost out of time."

"Agreed. We will be quick." Teyla nodded, then hurried after the others.

"Oh… that's not good." Rodney mumbled a moment later.

John and Evan turned towards the scientist, who was making strangled noises in his throat while his fingers frantically tapped his tablet.

"McKay?" John asked.

Rodney held up the transmitter, it's light now blinking a pulsating lime green. "It just started receiving. No trigger, just a conditional color request."

"Can you trace the signal?"

Rodney glanced towards the side window, then back down at the tablet, his index finger sliding across the screen. "Rain's stopped. Weather shouldn't be a factor. If I can just… and then we allow for curvature… factor in atmospheric pressure… and then…" The tablet beeped and Rodney glanced up at the others. "Two point four six kilometers. South, south west."

John took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, looking directly at Evan.

"Showtime."


	14. Chapter 14

For John, it came down to a question of trust.

Did he trust Turne? Not a chance in hell.

Which is why he done his best to make sure Evan had every ounce of protection he could, without Turne's knowledge. The Major still wore the TAC vest over his borrowed clothing, but the pockets were empty of everything save for extra clips for the M9 tucked precariously between his shoulder blades. Nothing for Michael to use against him.

Turne had seen the knife in the Major's boot, so if it came down to a believability issue, Turne could turn him over for the knife. The Beretta would hopefully remain hidden until Evan needed it.

John knew it was a dangerous chance they were taking. He also knew the Major understood the underlying need to take Michael down. They had no time to plan anything more than a few agreed upon signals.

But it all came down to a question of trust.

Did he trust Evan? Hell yes.

The cloaked jumper hovered above the Major and his supposed captor, Turne, as the two men marched through the tall grass towards the narrow plateau. The shallows, as Turne had called it, was a dead patch of rocky ground jutting two dozen feet up from a field of waist high grass. Wide enough to land several jumpers, it was flat and rugged, barren of vegetation. John held his breath, the focus of his eyes shifting from Evan, to the plateau, to the HUD.

John couldn't leave Evan with a radio, but he had assured the Major he'd be in position short of death, and even then he'd haunt the damn place if he had to.

Evan's arms were pulled behind him, his wrists wrapped in a thick rope. The ropes were twisted so a pull from anyone would show them as binding, but with a deft twist, Evan could be free in a fraction of time. Time enough to get to that M9. At least that was the plan.

Turne followed behind the Major, the wraith stunner they'd appropriated from Marne pointed directly at Evan's back. In a private conversation right before they'd left, John had made sure that Turne understood the implications of a double cross. To both the man himself, his wife, and the village. He only hoped Turne wasn't any kind of actor, because the man's fear and understanding had been pretty believable.

He felt Ronon's tension as the Satedan stood in the doorway between compartments. As Evan and Turne reached the narrow path that climbed to the top of the short rise, Rodney's breath caught.

John didn't need to look to know what McKay was seeing, as Michael's dart rose from behind the plateau, hovering in its slick form.

They'd known Michael was there… the temptation to slip around and blow him to hell ate at them all. But there were hybrids were on the ground. Scattered in amongst the grass. They could destroy the dart, but the hybrids would likely kill Evan in response. It wasn't a trade John was willing to make.

The dart crossed over the two men below, and a half-dozen hybrids rose from the grass to follow Evan and Turne, circling around them like a secret service escort.

Reaching the flat surface of the rocky outcropping, Turne and Evan halted in the center, all eyes turned towards the landing dart.

Ronon's low growl summed it up for all of them.

_Michael_.

With a flourish Michael exited the dart, the leather coat sliding around his legs as he strode towards the gathered group. Two hybrids moved to flanking positions, their eyes on the far side of the plateau.

John glanced over his shoulder at Teyla, who sat in the seat behind Sanchez. Teyla nodded to John, her face calm under the force of concentration as she shielded herself from Michael. Blocked him from finding her. From sensing her. From seeing she was here with them all. Because if he did… it would be game over for Evan.

Sliding back towards the edge of the plateau, John waited.

And John Sheppard hated waiting.

* * *

"Ahh." Michael smiled… slow and maniacal… his golden, cat-like eyes conveying the evil that lurked beneath. "Major Lorne. How nice of you to join us."

Evan kept his breath steady, his body flexing while his muscles waited his command. He knew he'd have only a fraction of a second to make any move, and if he was wrong…

Michael stepped into the circle of hybrids.

"Mikey." Evan scowled, the urge to smash the man in the face overwhelming. God he'd caused so much pain… Teyla… Carson…

Michael glared at Evan, then shifted his gaze to Turne. "Only one?" He hissed.

Turne nodded furiously. "The others… t-t-they were caught in the water…"

Evan channeled his anger into what he hoped would come off as fury at the death of his team mates. He obviously succeeded when Michael tipped his head back and laughed. "Ahh." He lowered his chin. "That is… unfortunate."

Evan lurched forward, his progress halted by two hybrids. Michael laughed again. "I have almost forgotten how much fun you are. You humans. Such… emotional creatures."

Evan struggled, careful to keep his wrists clamped tightly together. As long as the hybrids held his arms, he'd be unable to reach the gun. No gun, no blowing the evil bastards head off. But he needed to finish what he'd come to start.

"You're a dead man walking, _Michael_." He knew the use of the Earth name irked the Wraith, so he used it with purpose. "We're coming for you. We're tracking you down… lab by lab… You're getting over confident. Must be your human nature leaking out."

Michael's backhand wasn't completely unexpected, but the strength of it was a little bit of a surprise. Evan's head rang and things tilted sharply. For a moment he was sort of glad he had a few hands holding him up. He shook his head, clearing the cobwebs. The two hybrids near the dart had half-turned, but they weren't fully facing their boss yet.

Evan spat blood onto the ground and smirked. "You hit like a girl."

When he got his breath back, he was sprawled on his back, the sharp, kicking pain in his chest announcing more than one rib was well bruised, maybe even cracked or broken. He'd have a hell of a bruise between the shoulder blades as well… if he lived to bruise that was. But at least he'd completed his task.

The hybrids had moved closer.

* * *

"Shit Major," John hissed as he dropped the cloaked jumper towards the grass directly behind the dart. "I said distraction, not get yourself killed."

As soon as they were down John was up and out the back behind Ronon, with Teyla and Rodney at his heels. With Sanchez at the controls, and Williams riding shotgun, the hatch closed and they lost sight of their ride.

Sanchez had his orders. If he blew the dart now, the shrapnel alone would kill the hybrids… and Evan. The only way Michael could get Evan off the planet would be to use the dart's culling device to beam them all up. Sanchez was going to have only one chance, and that was while Michael was in the air. And that one chance was all Evan would have at making it out of the circle alive. The hybrids would kill him as soon as they sensed the ambush.

As previously agreed, John and Rodney circled around the edge of the outcropping, while Ronon and Teyla covered the closest side.

Ducking through the grass, each moved up the rocky slope, fingers and feet finding purchase as they scrambled higher.

* * *

"Ah, Major." Michael laughed, standing over Evan. "I have indeed missed our… conversations. I will most certainly enjoy adding you to my… collection."

"Aww, gee." Evan grunted, rolling onto his side with a hiss of breath. _Damn that hurt._ "Not even dinner and a movie?"

Michael's boot caught Evan in the stomach and he cursed as the air left his body. _Correction. That hurt more._ Evan rolled onto his back, fighting for oxygen.

"You will learn respect soon enough." Michael snorted, spinning with a flourish. "Get him up." He ordered, striding to the dart. In a quick motion he was up and in the pilots seat. The canopy wavered into existence and sealed the cockpit. With a droning whine the craft was in the air.

Two hybrids yanked Evan to his feet and he knew time had come. Backup notwithstanding, he had to make his move now. Once Michael banked that dart around and triggered the culling beam it was game over. If the jumper shot down Michael after he'd picked them up… Evan wouldn't even know he'd died.

Straightening against the cramping in his abdomen he rolled his shoulders and unlocked his wrists, twisting them out of their rope binding.

The dart climbed, and began it's turn.

Dropping his weight and bracing his shoulder, Evan yanked his hands apart and dove for the nearest hybrid. In one fluid movement he spun, yanking the creature around in front of him like a shield. He bucked under the weight as the hybrid took several blasts in the chest from his companions. Reaching over his shoulder, Evan extracted his M9 and fired several shots into the back of the hybrid wrestling with Turne. The hybrid dropped and Turne stumbled, landing hard on his back in the dirt.

To his right, the jumper uncloaked, rising sharply in the air directly in front of the dart, blocking Michael's path to the plateau. The dart fired before banking sharply, the rocket blasting into the ground somewhere behind Evan, the explosion sending chunks of dirt and rock spewing into the air, and raining down on the subsequent firefight. Two hybrids fell almost instantly, the concussion wave from the blast knocking them sprawling.

Ronon and Teyla crested the hill, with John and Rodney firing from another side. Aiming at the retreating dart, Ronon sent a concussion of blasts into the air, cursing as Michael led the jumper away into the distance.

The two remaining hybrids hesitated, their confusion evident. Surrounded, outnumbered, and without a boss to give them direction, they were unsure of what to do next.

Ronon solved their dilemma by stunning them both.

"What?" He grunted, when Teyla lowered her P90 and glared at him.

She shook her head.

John walked quickly to the edge of the plateau, his hand to his com. "Do not follow, Captain. That's an order." Then he shook his head. "We don't know what kind of booby traps he's got set up on the other side."

Ronon hooked his hand under Evan's arm and helped the Major to his feet. "You were supposed to cause a distraction…" He chastised Evan.

Evan shrugged, and clutched his injured side. "It worked didn't it?"

"Break anything?" John returned, giving the Major a quick once over.

"Probably." Evan shrugged, then winced. "Michael?" He asked hopefully.

John frowned and shook his head. "Sanchez got a piece of him, but lost him through the gate." John stared over his shoulder into the distance and cursed.

With a shake of his head John looked around at the hybrids in the dirt at their feet. He sighed in disgust. It seemed that with Michael they were always close enough to touch, but never close enough to hold onto him.

John stepped over to Turne, who was staring down at one of the stunned hybrids, the stunner still tightly gripped in his hand. "Byron?" John asked.

Turne nodded. "Yes."

John clamped the man on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll see he's taken care of."

Turne blinked at John, his eyes a mix of sadness and hope. "You will keep your word? You will help after all I've… we've done?"

John stared back, dropping his hand. "Yes." He said simply.

"Why?"

"Because that's what we do."

He turned away, leaving Turne to stare at his retreating backside.

The jumper uncloaked and landed in the dirt on the far side of the plateau, the hatch already lowering. A long low rumble echoed above and eyes turned skyward.

"Just in time." Rodney muttered, hurrying towards the jumper.

"Come on." John headed towards the opening. "Let's get the Doc and go home."

"What about those guys?" Rodney made a face, pointing at the hybrids with the barrel of his P90.

John stopped and turned around, facing Turne, who was still staring at the hybrid.

"Turne." He called out.

The man looked up and over his shoulder.

"If they move, stun them again." John ordered. "Don't let them get up off the ground. As soon as we get our doctor home we'll send someone back to retrieve them."

Turne nodded, his eyes dropping back what was once his brother-in-law, but John noted the man's grip shifted on the blaster.

It would have to do.

"Colonel Sheppard, come in." Edison's voice crackled over the com as John slid into the pilot's seat Sanchez vacated.

"Go ahead."

As the last man, following Teyla up the ramp, Ronon triggered the hatch and stepped towards the front of the Jumper.

"Something's wrong with the Doc." Edison continued. "She's not breathing right and I can't wake her up."

John's heart skipped a beat, the tension level inside the jumper leaping with Edison's words.

"Get her down to the square." He ordered, his hands moving towards the controls. "We're on our way."

"Roger." Edison answered.

"Hold on." John ordered, the statement for the people in the jumper as he banked sharply to the right, pulling a one-eighty and skimming them across the treetops towards the village.

With a crack of thunder the sky opened and rain once again pelted the land below.

This planet sucked.


	15. Chapter 15

For two days Jen remained in isolation – her staff working to eradicate the virus that was so obviously causing her body such distress. Her temperature fluctuated drastically, and her breathing was short and labored. They kept her on a twenty-four hour watch in a room specifically set aside for intensive care. For every moment she seemed to be pulling through, she'd slide back just as quickly.

"How's she doing?" John asked quietly as he entered the private room. He couldn't keep his eyes off Jennifer. Her skin was almost as white as the sheet she lay on, her hair dull and lifeless, eyes closed and lips colorless, surrounded by machines and tubing. God she looked like… _death_. He snapped his head quickly to the side, blocking the though as it formed.

He turned towards Edison, who was sitting in a chair next to the bed, his feet stretched out and a book in his lap.

Edison shook his head slowly. "No change."

John angled his head towards the open doorway. "Go ahead. I'll stay a while."

Edison nodded and stuck a small card into the book to mark his page. He stood and stretched, and handed the paperback to his CO. "Teyla said she'd be by after lunch." He stepped towards the door and disappeared with a nod.

John settled into the vacated chair and opened the book, flipping past four other markers to find his own bookmark. He settled in to read, his eyes frequently slipping up off the page to the woman in the bed then back again.

He was several chapters in when a familiar voice called over his shoulder, startling him into standing.

"Och, lass, look at ya…" Carson's soft sigh preceded him as he walked into the room followed closely by Rodney.

"Doc?" John's eyes moved from Carson to Rodney, who was standing directly behind the Doctor. "So that's where you disappeared to."

"He has a cure." Rodney blurted out, moving to stand next to the bed, his fingers fidgeting worriedly as he stared down at Jennifer. He reached for her hand, hesitated, then dropped his hands loosely to his side.

"You do?" John looked sharply at Carson.

"Now Rodney." Carson shook his head disapprovingly. "I wouldn't go that far."

"But you said…" Rodney turned towards him.

"I said I know what's causing it." Carson stepped to the bed, his hand reaching for Jennifer's still one. He lifted it up and patted the back of her hand. "How to fix it… well… we'll need a little help with that."

"Help?" John looked at the doctor expectantly.

"Aye, Colonel." Carson nodded. "Rodney's filled me in on what happened, and I believe we know why Jennifer is unable to break free of the virus." He shook his head and gently lay her hand back down onto the bed. "But I will need to run a few tests on Ronon and Teyla to be sure. If they're willing…"

"Say the word, Doc." John nodded. "They'll be all yours."

Carson smiled softly. "Right. Then lets get to it, shall we?"

* * *

John knew the grapevine in the city was fast… but even he was surprised at how quickly word had gotten through his team and Lorne's as to why Carson needed them.

Ronon and Teyla had hit the infirmary within minutes of John's call, and they were immediately followed by Edison, Williams, Laura, Sanchez, Evan and Richard Woolsey.

Unwilling to disrupt the infirmary, Carson suggested perhaps they should all retreat to the lab across the corridor and he'd explain as best he could.

Sequestered around the view screens, Carson looked quickly around the anxious faces and nodded. "Rodney has explained to me what has been happening, and after a thorough search of the Ancient Database we think we've found the little bugger."

"Ancient Database?" John leaned forward, the stool he was on sliding slightly on its castors.

"That means it's bad, isn't it." Laura shifted her weight from foot to foot, chewing her lower lip nervously.

"Yes, and no." Carson turned around and tapped the keyboard, bringing up a rotating image of several circular objects, each with spiked edges. "This is our guy."

"Cute." Williams muttered.

"And deadly." Rodney added.

"Deadly?" Teyla questioned, her expression reflecting the worry that filled the room.

Carson nodded, his expression serious. "Aye. If left untreated."

"So how do we treat it?" Ronon asked from his position at the back.

"Ah," Carson nodded. "That _is _the question, is it not." He turned towards the screen and changed the display. "Jennifer, and to a lesser degree, you two," he glanced quickly at Evan and Williams. "Managed to contract a mutated strain of XRP-7C."

"We did?" Williams' brow furrowed.

"Oh goody." Evan mumbled.

"It's Ancient speak for the Flu." Rodney glanced at Evan.

"XRP-7C was a native strain of Influenza." Carson glanced at Rodney.

"_Was_?" Woolsey honed in on Carson's use of past tense.

"Aye, Mr. Woolsey." Carson nodded. "At one time it was very much a common ailment amongst people of this galaxy, and as on Earth, it was worse on those unable to fight. The elderly, the infirm, and the young."

Silence filled the room.

"It was apparently known as the night-death." Rodney added.

"Well, that sounds happy." John threaded his arms over his torso and frowned at the ugly looking blotch on the computer screen.

"Aye." Carson sighed. "The illness spread more rapidly through the night. As the body rested to heal, the virus multiplied. It only attacked when the body was inactive."

"It got so people were afraid to go to sleep for fear of waking up with… with… that." Rodney pointed to the screen.

"It was rampant enough to be considered a plague." Carson added. "Villages lost half their population. Young and old."

"So what happened?" Richard asked.

"Well, here's the kicker." Rodney clasped his hands together. "It seems that our former landlords decided to take matters into their own hands, help the people of the galaxy and all that by formulating a cure." He made a face. "But as we're slowly learning…"

"Their cure backfired." John muttered.

"No." Carson shook his head then nodded. "It worked, actually. They successfully wiped out all traces of the original disease, and in effect, inoculated the entire human populace of the Pegasus galaxy. But in their haste, they did miscalculate an important component."

"Water." Rodney nodded.

"Water?" Richard's brow furrowed.

"Water." Rodney repeated.

"They distributed their cure through local water supplies." Carson nodded. "The fastest way to reach the entire population, actually. However… after all these years-"

"It mutated." Rodney interrupted.

"It mutated." Carson agreed.

"Mutated?" Edison repeated, eyeing Lorne and Williams critically.

"The _virus_ mutated." Rodney rolled his eyes. "Not the subjects."

"Ah." Williams exhaled. "Good to know."

"So there's going to be another plague?" John eyed Carson warily.

"Och, no Colonel. Nothing so drastic. Genetically speaking, the natives of the Pegasus galaxy are completely immune to it."

"But we're not." John raised his eyebrow.

"Nope." Rodney shook his head dramatically.

"So why can't you just give Dr. Keller the same cure?" Edison asked.

"Oh yes, like we didn't think of that first." Rodney snorted sarcastically.

"Rodney." Carson chastised, then turned towards the Lieutenant. "The Ancient cure had no effect on Dr. Keller."

"So why aren't _we _sick?" Evan asked.

"Well, Major, I'm afraid it's simply because you weren't sick to begin with." Carson turned towards Evan. "You said yourself, Dr. Keller was already ill when she came into contact with this virus. I believe her body was simply unable to resist. With a regular course of antibiotics, you and the Lieutenant have defeated the virus. Dr. Keller…" Carson shook his head. "Jennifer was unable to fight."

"So what do you suggest?" Richard asked, agreed murmurs echoing his question.

"We make our own vaccination." Carson nodded, staring at Ronon pointedly. "And for that, big man... I need your blood."

"Take it." Ronon stepped forward.

Carson glanced at Teyla and smiled. "And yours too young lady."

"Of course." Teyla agreed, stepping forward with Ronon. "Whatever we can do to help."

.

.

.

_**Author's Note**: Okay so if I could find a way to write a video montage, I would... but I'm not sure I could. So here you'll need to use your imagination and try to think of all the cool shots of Carson in the lab surrounded by a hovering group of concerned 'Lanteans. :P - Nika_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's Notes** - sorry for the odd formatting - ff seems to be having issues... so I made my own scene breaks... :P - Nika  
_

.

-.-

.

Teyla found John on one of the secluded balconies, the moon hanging low in the sky, bathing the entire city in its soft glow. The night was clear and crisp, the air scented with the tang of salt water.

He stood in the corner, his arms resting on the railing, his shoulders hunched. She slipped through the doors and settled in beside him, mimicking his pose.

"Carson and Rodney have returned to the lab."

John nodded. "If there's anything to be found, those two will find it."

"I was going to take them something to eat." She glanced sideways at the Colonel. "Rodney keeps… forgetting." She frowned. "He is taking this… hard."

John turned his shoulders towards her, leaning more of his weight on his right arm. "He's worried. He cares a lot about her."

Teyla angled her head. "Yes. He does. More than… some."

John shrugged.

"But not more than others." Teyla finished cryptically.

John sighed. "So you know, huh."

It was Teyla's turn to shrug. "It is not difficult to see."

"For someone who's more observant than most." John finished with a slight grin.

Teyla shook her head and turned around, leaning her back against the railing and crossing her arms around her torso. "But Ronon _and_ Rodney?"

John sighed and turned, matching her stance. "She's a beautiful woman. Smart. Funny. What's not to like?"

Teyla arched her eyebrow.

John shook his head and with a heavy sigh, tipped his head back and stared up the edge of the building. He turned back around, and resumed his initial propped up position against the railing.

"Ronon has not gone to see her." Teyla turned slightly, angling her hip against the railing.

John nodded. "I know."

"What do we do?" Teyla asked softly.

John snorted, his expression incredulous. "You're asking _me _for help on someone's love life?"

Teyla started to grin. "You do not wish to give such advice?"

"Romance advice?" He snorted. "You're kidding right? Don't you have any questions about airplanes? Flying ships? Or how about weapons? Guns. Now there's something I can give you advice on. Give me something to shoot and I'm there."

"You sound like Ronon." Teyla laughed.

"Man's got a point." John conceded.

Teyla rubbed her forehead, then turned around to look out across the lights of the city. "It will not be easy." She said softly.

"Nope." John agreed. "Probably even be some fallout."

"Yet they are all our friends."

"And that's going to be the hard part."

They stood in silence, the brightness of the city lights taunting them over the turmoil within.

John broke first, straightening, and jamming his hands into his pockets. "So. You said something about food?"

Teyla smiled and stepped away from the railing. "I did."

"Lead on, Macduff." John angled his head.

Teyla snorted and shook her head as she moved towards the doors.

"I know, I know." John followed. "You people are weird."

.

-.-

.

"It isn't working." Carson shook his head, staring at the results of Jennifer's latest blood tests.

"How can it not be working?!" Rodney exclaimed, rubbing the back of his neck while he craned to read over Carson's shoulder.

Carson shook his head. "It's been twelve hours. We should have seen some improvement by now."

"Obviously you've missed something." Rodney sighed.

"I've been through it a dozen times."

"Then try it again." Rodney said stubbornly, staring at a second video monitor and the live feed of Jennifer's head and shoulders, her motionless body angled across the screen. "There has to be something you're not seeing."

Carson ground the heels of his hands against his eyes, then stared at the video of the blood sample playing on the screen in front of them. "Aye, Rodney. But I don't know what I could possibly have missed. Everything says it should be working. The anti-virus _is_ neutralizing the virus." He pointed to the screen. "You can see it yourself."

"Then what is that?" Rodney pointed to the sudden churning that appeared on the first screen.

"That," Carson acknowledged. "Is the virus."

"So why does it keep coming back?"

"I don't know, Rodney." Carson shook his head, exasperated, his eyes on Jennifer's image. "For every dose we give her, it neutralizes the threat. Her blood work is normal. Healthy. Then, exactly thirty eight minutes later…" He pointed to the screen and the infected sample that now swarmed in front of their faces.

"Why thirty eight minutes?" Rodney frowned, stifling a yawn as he rubbed his eyes.

"Gestation period." Carson shrugged, glancing down at his notes. "Thirty eight minutes and fifty two seconds."

"So why doesn't she wake up?" Rodney stared at Jennifer's image, his voice dropping to almost a whisper.

"I'm sorry?" Carson frowned.

"Wake up." Rodney pointed to Jen's picture, his voice louder. "Why doesn't she wake up? You said she's cured… for thirty eight minutes. We've done this… what… six times already? And each time she hasn't moved."

"Rodney… say that again." Carson's eyes narrowed as he stared hard into the screen reflecting Jennifer's sleeping body.

"What?" Rodney leaned forward.

"She isn't awake."

"No." Rodney frowned, drawing out the word.

"She's not… waking up." Carson turned towards Rodney, his voice trailing off as he lost himself in his thoughts.

"No." Rodney repeated, his eyes scanning Carson's face. "What… What is it?"

Carson stood up and walked quickly to a terminal on the other side of the lab.

"Carson!" Rodney followed immediately behind. "What? What is it?!"

"Sleeping…" Carson muttered, clamping McKay on the shoulder, then dropping hand quickly to the computer. "Aye, Rodney, you're a genius."

"Well, I know th-" Rodney started, then shook his head. "What about sleeping? Why she's sleeping? She's sleeping because she's… tired? Give me a clue… a hint?" He wriggled his ear. "Sounds like?"

"Rodney, hush!" Carson ordered, frantically alternating his eyes between the screen, and his fingers, which were madly typing on the keyboard. "I'm trying to think."

"Well think faster!" Rodney exclaimed, staring over the Doctor's shoulder.

Carson slowly turned his head to glare at Rodney.

"What?!" The scientist frowned, but stepped back.

Carson returned to the screen, paging quickly through data.

"Ah." He muttered.

"Ah?" Rodney repeated, stepping forward again to stare over Carson's shoulder.

"There." Carson slapped his palm on the countertop. "I should have seen it. Right in front of me the whole time, Rodney."

"What was?"

"Sleeping!" Carson said the word like a curse, then he turned and walked away, nearly slamming into Teyla and John, who'd rounded the corner, each carrying a cafeteria tray laden with food.

"Sorry, Colonel." Carson exclaimed hurriedly. "Can't stop. Need to find a volunteer."

John and Teyla stepped aside as Carson rushed past.

The Doctor stopped abruptly to turn around and glare at Rodney. "Well, are you coming?"

Rodney spun away from the newcomers with a "What? Yes, yes! Of course!"

Teyla and John shared a glance then quickly dropped the trays onto the nearest smooth surface and rushed out after them.

.

-.-

.

"You want to put someone to sleep." John repeated, glancing quickly at Teyla before turning back to Carson.

"Basically, yes." Carson nodded, moving quickly around the back corner of the infirmary. He turned and filled an auto-injector. "They didn't call this little bugger the night-death for nothing."

John raised his eyebrows. "I thought you had a cure."

"We do." Rodney nodded. "But it's not working. Not while she's still asleep."

"I don't get it." John frowned. "She needs to be awake for it to work?"

Carson turned, and wriggled the injector as he accented his words. "Yes. Delta waves."

"Delta waves?" Teyla repeated Carson's words slowly.

"Aye, Teyla. Delta waves. The human brain is, by all that matters, a giant computer. It can generate a physically readable energy… electrochemical power. Oh don't worry…" He said quickly, when Teyla's eyes widened. "It's not enough to power anything."

"Well if you hooked enough people together-" Rodney started, then clamped his mouth shut when Carson glared. "Right." Rodney muttered, waving his hand. "Go on…"

"As I was saying…" Carson continued, glancing at the auto-injector in his hand. "There was a brief mention in the Ancient database – quite hidden I might add…"

"I found it." Rodney nodded quickly.

"Our little friend here feeds off delta waves…" Carson continued, ignoring Rodney. "Delta waves are the electrochemical output of our minds when we are deeply sleeping. Both Major Lorne and Lieutenant Williams were fully awake when they contracted the virus, and fully awake when they returned. Their minds were highly active with beta waves. With a little help from a strong dose of antibiotics, they were able to quickly defeat the virus. But, Dr. Keller had the unfortunate luck of being ill, and already asleep. Her mind is active only to the level of delta waves. Even with our vaccine, the virus will not remain dormant long enough to be destroyed."

"We need delta waves." Rodney added. "An active mind."

"So wake her up." John looked at the Doctor.

Carson angled his head. "Aye. It's an option, however..." he sighed softly. "The lass is very ill. I worry about the strain this would cause on her already weakened system to have us shocking her awake. The human heart is strong, but…"

"You want to be sure." Teyla filled in.

The doctor nodded. "To be on the safe side, I like to run a few tests first."

"You want a guinea pig." John nodded knowingly, his eyes moving to the injector in Carson's hand.

"Aye, Colonel. I need a volunteer… from Earth," he looked at Teyla who was about to open her mouth. "To contract a mild, but fast acting strain so we can see how it interacts when the patient is both states of consciousness as we apply the vaccination. Once we've confirmed our theory, then we can go about waking up our Sleeping Beauty."

"Right." John straightened. "Where to do you want me?"

Carson turned towards him.

"Don't argue, Doc." John shook his head, then glared at Rodney when the scientist stepped forward, his mouth open and his index finger raised. "You either."

"John…" Teyla started, earning her a glare as well.

She sighed, and stepped back.

"Very well Colonel." Carson sighed, patting the gurney to his left. "Up ya' go then."

John hopped up onto the gurney, and settled himself against the pillow.

"Right then." Carson stepped forward, pressing the injector to John's neck. "This shouldn't hurt."

"Yeah." John muttered, wincing with the influx of the virus. "Famous last words, Doc."


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Notes:** I'm not a doctor nor do I play one on TV. Any medical references are purely by Google... :P And bah to the ff formatting issues. - Nika_

_._

_-.-_

_.  
_

"How do you feel?" Teyla asked, concerned for the clammy feel to John's skin as she held his hand.

"Like shit." John muttered, rolling with the nausea that twisted through his stomach.

"Serves you right." Rodney muttered from his position, standing on the other side of the Colonel.

"Rumor has it you're doing something stupid again." Ronon's growl preceded the Satedan as he strode up to the bed.

"Who, me?" John winced at the headache that was screaming behind his eyeballs. This _is what Jennifer was feeling when she carted Evan's gear across the village? Shit. New respect, Doc…_

Ronon snorted. He stopped at the end of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Right then, Colonel." Carson appeared from behind Ronon, pushing a large equipment cart. "Feel like a wee nap?"

"Only if I get a teddy bear." John muttered, squinting at the cart Carson rolled next to the bed. "What's that?"

"EEG." Carson answered, quickly attaching small electrodes to the Colonel's forehead and temples. "Will allow us to monitor your brain activity."

Rodney snorted.

John frowned at him.

"Ready?" Carson held up the injector.

John nodded, then exhaled slowly, his head pounding with the movement. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

.

-.-

.

Rodney stood shoulder to shoulder with Carson, eying the two screens. On one, John's brainwave activity, the other, a live, full body scan of the Colonel. The image of a blue skeletal outline was scattered with yellow specs, dotted across the body.

"Wow." Rodney whispered. "I thought you said it was a mild strain."

"It is, Rodney."

"Then Jennifer…"

"Is much, much worse." Carson answered softly.

"Don't tell me…" Evan muttered, walking into the room.

Rodney turned towards him. "Okay then I won't."

Evan sighed, and stared at his CO, who was lying motionless, in the bed beneath the full body scanner. "He volunteered again, didn't he?"

Ronon snorted.

"I'm afraid so." Teyla said softly.

Evan shook his head. "Someone really should try talking him out of these things."

"Yeah, like that would make any difference." Rodney rolled his eyes.

"Ah, Major." Carson turned towards Evan. "Did you bring it."

"Yup." Evan nodded to Carson. "Although I'm a little curious as to why…"

"Why what?" Rodney frowned.

"Nothing to worry about, Rodney. Just a wee test for the Colonel." Carson turned towards the others. "All right, gentlemen." Then nodded to Teyla. "And lady." He stepped over to John, and carefully held an auto-injector to the Colonel's neck. "First the anti-virus." Carson then repeated the procedure with a second injector. "And now to wake the poor lad up."

A few moments later and John's eyes blinked open.

"Ah, there you are, Colonel." Carson smiled down at his patient. "How are you feeling."

"Anyone get the license plate of that bus?" John mumbled, squinting up into the scanner. "How long have I been out?"

"Just under half an hour." Carson nodded, eying the body scan results. Yellow particles still flashed throughout the body's display.

"Is that me?" John frowned.

"Aye, Colonel." Carson nodded. "You're well and truly sick."

"Really." John muttered sarcastically.

"Right. Now then Colonel. We need to kick that brain of yours into gear." Carson shushed the snickers with a wave of his hand. "Major… if you wouldn't mind?"

Evan raised an eyebrow then nodded and stepped forward, setting an M9 onto John's stomach.

Ronon straightened and glanced from Evan to Carson.

"You want me to shoot someone?" John frowned, picking up the Beretta.

"Of course not." Rodney exclaimed, then looked quickly to Carson for confirmation.

"Och, no, Colonel. I want you to field strip it."

"You…" John's brow furrowed. "Really?"

"Really?" Rodney repeated.

"Aye." Carson nodded. "Eyes up, Colonel. You're working from memory."

John had already pulled the magazine out to confirm it was unloaded. Within seconds he had the pieces across his stomach.

Eyes switched from the Colonel to the screens and back again. "Good, good." Carson nodded, carefully studying both screens. He glanced over his shoulder. "Now put it back together."

John completed the task quickly, and handed Evan back the M9.

"Okay." John drew the word out.

"Right." Carson turned around. "And _now_ how are you feeling."

John's eyes narrowed as he contemplated his answer. "Better." He frowned. "Actually." He rolled his head towards the monitors. "I feel better."

"Rodney." Carson looked at the scientist.

"Hmm?" Rodney tore his gaze away from the screens to look at Carson. "What? Oh! Right." Then Rodney stepped up to the bed. "Okay Mister Mensa, if the hour hand on a clock moves 1/60th of a degree every minute, then how many degrees will the hour hand move in one hour?"

"What?" John frowned.

Rodney repeated the question.

John blinked. "One degree."

"Good, good. Rodney." Carson urged. "Give him another."

"What is this, Double Jeopardy?" John muttered.

"No, no, Colonel." Carson nodded encouragingly. "We need to keep those beta waves charged."

Everyone glanced at the scanner and sure enough, the yellow dots were slowly disappearing.

"That fast, huh." John blinked.

"Mild strain." Rodney whispered dramatically.

"Rodney." Carson chastised.

"Right, right." Rodney sighed. "Double one-half of one-fourth of one-10th of 80,000?"

John frowned, paused, then nodded. "Two-thousand."

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government."

"Too easy." Evan muttered.

John grinned. "Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony_._"

Rodney snorted.

"What are they talking about?" Teyla looked at Ronon, who just shrugged.

"Cavemen vs. Astronauts." Rodney narrowed his gaze and stared at the Colonel. "Who would win?"

"What?" John snorted.

"Cavemen _Vs_. Astronauts." Rodney repeated. "Who would win?"

"Do the Astronauts have weapons?" John asked.

"No." Rodney made a face.

"Well then obviously the cavemen." John said with conviction.

"Oh come on!" Rodney snorted. "Really? A caveman? Over an Astronaut? If they're astronauts they'd obviously have far superior technology."

"Yeah but the caveman's been fighting saber-tooth tigers for years. Living in caves, honing their skills… obviously better warriors. They'd be leading the Astronauts into a slaughter."

"They would not." Rodney looked affronted.

"Oh please." John rolled his eyes. "I throw you and Ronon into a pit, who's going to win?"

"He's the caveman, right?" Rodney eyed Ronon from across the gurney.

"No, he'd be the astronaut." Evan said with a straight face.

"Really?" Rodney looked at the Major.

"Not." John grinned. "Caveman." Then he glanced at Ronon. "Sorry buddy, no offense."

"None taken." Ronon blinked. "What's a saber-toothed tiger?"

"Giant cat. Huge." John held his hands out wide. "Size of a car. With big fangs."

"I get to fight one?" Ronon grinned.

"And win." John nodded.

"I always win." Ronon scowled.

"Against a saber-tooth tiger!?" Rodney rolled his eyes.

"Possible." Evan nodded.

"It is not possible." Rodney argued. "He's like… one guy."

"One big guy." John nodded. "And he gets to be the caveman. You're poor astronaut isn't going to stand a chance."

"Helloooo!" Rodney waved his hands at no one in particular. "Astronauts! Technology. Advanced skills and weaponry."

"You said the astronaut wouldn't have any weapons." John pointed out.

"So, that doesn't mean he can't… well… teleport himself somewhere else!" Rodney pouted.

"Run away?" John grinned.

"Not very sporting." Ronon acknowledged. "I'd rather fight the tiger."

"You're completely missing the point." Rodney muttered, throwing his hands in the air.

"There was a point?" Teyla questioned.

"Yes!" Rodney exclaimed. "There was a point! There's no way a caveman would beat an astronaut."

"We've already proven the caveman would kick his ass." John smirked, propping himself up on his elbow.

"And the tiger's." Ronon added.

"And the tiger's." John seconded, pointing at Ronon.

"Oh for the love of-" Rodney started, but was cut off by Carson who stepped in front of the bed.

"Okay then, Colonel." Carson's voice carried loudly, cutting off their conversation. "How are you feeling now?"

John's brow furrowed as he looked down the length of himself. "Pretty good. No… actually… fine. I feel, totally fine."

"It worked like a charm." Carson nodded, removing the electrodes from John's forehead and temples. "All those happy beta waves have done their job. I want to see you again in an hour just to be sure, but for now, you're good to go."

"I… what?" John sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. He glanced at the screen and the blank body outline. "That's it? Really?"

"Really, Colonel." Carson nodded seriously. "Would I kid a dying man?"

"I… what?!" John's head snapped around to stare at the doctor.

"Just havin' a wee bit o fun with ya Colonel." Carson clamped John affectionately on the shoulder. "Now. What's say we go see if we can wake up a certain lady doctor we all know and love?"


	18. Chapter 18

John knew something was wrong.

He didn't have to be in the room below, on the other side of the observation glass to know it either. It was in Carson's expression, the frantic hand gestures, the way Marie scrambled, and the way the two nurses jumped as Carson dove past them, grabbing an injector from one of their hands and pressing it tightly against Jennifer's neck.

No one needed to be in the room to know the what it sounded like amongst the beeping machinery and yelled orders.

John wasn't sure anyone on the second floor was breathing either, as foreheads pressed against cold glass. Parked between Ronon and Teyla, he could almost feel the collective intake of oxygen as they waited.

It wasn't until Carson looked up, his shoulders dropping with a relieved nod, that everyone inhaled again.

Carson tapped his earpiece. "Everything's fine."

"What the hell happened?!" John demanded, activating his own com.

Carson shook his head, and glanced from the monitors, to Jennifer, then up to the second floor. "The virus is overtaking her system." He shook his head. "We have another thirty eight minutes before we can try again."   Then he looked directly up at John. "The wee lass can't take much more of this. If we don't figure it out soon, I'm afraid…" Carson trailed off, unable to complete the words. He turned his back on the observers, and stared at the display from the scanner.

It wasn't just that Jennifer's body had the virus. The body outline on the second monitor was so full of yellow dots it glowed like a neon sign.

Rodney wobbled slightly and had to back up to sit down in one of the benches across the corridor.

Teyla moved to sit beside him, patting the back of his hand where it rested on his knees. "I am sure she's going to be just fine, Rodney." She said softly.

Rodney shook his head. "It should be working. I don't understand why it's not working."

"I do not know, Rodney." Teyla shook her head, then sighed softly. "The mind heals what the mind wants to heal," she whispered, more to herself than the others.

Rodney turned towards her, his mind struggling to grasp what Teyla was saying. "I'm sorry, what?"

Teyla tilted her head. "Hmm?"

"What you said? The mind heals…"

"Oh. It is an old Athosian saying." Teyla shrugged, glancing at Ronon and John, who'd turned towards them. "The mind heals what the mind wants to heal."

"You think she doesn't want to get well?" Rodney stared at her wide-eyed.

"Oh no, Rodney." Teyla shook her head. "I think Jennifer would do everything she could to make herself better… if…"

"If she knew she was sick." John finished with a nod.

"But Carson can't wake her up." Rodney blinked. "If we need her to wake up to heal, how's she supposed to heal herself to wake up? How is she supposed to know she's sick? She's… she's… unconscious."

John frowned, and turned back towards the glass, his hands loosely sliding into his front pockets. _How __was__ she supposed to know? _If they couldn't wake her up long enough to get her thinking, then how were they going to get her thinking long enough to wake up?

"You can't." Ronon shook his head, telling John he'd muttered the words aloud.

John stuffed his hands further into his front pockets, his mind connecting questions he couldn't answer. How could you wake someone up who didn't know they were sleeping, short of another excursion into dream land? Carson had already ruled that out as far too dangerous. So what was left…

Had to be something he was missing.

Something they were all missing.

Something he'd heard someone say once…

But where had he heard it?

In silence Ronon spun, and John's head turned with him, watching the Satedan as he strode briskly away.

John blinked.

Hmmm. Was it… ?

"I'll be back." He turned to Rodney and Teyla, who were still sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bench, both of them staring after Ronon's retreating backside. "You'll call me if…"

"Yes." Teyla nodded. "We will call."

John turned on his heel and headed towards the stairs. Dropping down them two at a time, he hit the bottom at a half jog and quickly caught up to Ronon.

"Hey," he said, falling into step beside the Satedan. "Walk with me."

Ronon grunted, but turned when John made an immediate right. They moved through the corridors and into the small labs which were situated in behind the infirmary. The second corridor opened into a small room, packed with medical equipment and several computers.

John pulled them inside and closed the door.

Ronon stood against the wall, glancing around at Jennifer's lab, his expression closed.

"I need your help." John walked towards one of the computers, and dragged the keyboard in front of him.

"With what?" Ronon frowned.

"I have an idea." John scanned through the list of items scrolling across the screen.

"For Jennifer?" Ronon stepped forward.

"Yeah." John nodded. "What Teyla said about the mind. How are we supposed to help her help herself?" He continued to look through files. "Did you know there are entire cultures on Earth who believe they can heal themselves just by thinking about it?"

Ronon snorted.

John shrugged. "Judging by what's happening right now, I'm beginning to think there might be something to it."

"So what do you need me for?" Ronon crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

"Because if I'm right…" John hesitated, his hand on the keyboard. He found the file he was looking for, but didn't immediately open it. "She's not going to want to hear it coming from me."

"Hear what?" Ronon's eyes narrowed.

John turned towards him and hooked a foot around one of the three wheeled stools scattered about the room. "Sit." He tilted his chin and slid the stool in front of Ronon.

Ronon stared.

"Sit." John ordered.

Ronon grunted but sat, his arms threaded tightly across his chest. John grabbed his own stool and plopped down on it, rolling back and forth as he spoke.

"When you were… recovering… from your overdose of Wraith enzyme, we set up a twenty four hour security team to… ah… keep an eye on things. More for McKay's piece of mind…" John gave a half smile.

Ronon grunted.

"Part of that detail included a video feed."

Ronon blinked at the computer screen behind John, then back to the Colonel's face.

John angled his head. "No one has seen it, or has access to it except Dr. Keller… and me. You have my word on that."

Ronon exhaled. "So?"

"I think there's…" John inhaled slowly. "Something you need to hear. Something important.  I didn't remember it at first… but what Teyla said up there got me thinking.  If I'm right, then you're going to give our sleeping doctor something to think about."

Ronon leaned slightly forward.

John stood up and turned towards the keyboard. After typing in his password, he accessed the video feed from Ronon's stint in the infirmary. John fast forwarded, skimming through the video with speed, ignoring the scattered action of people coming and going, until he neared the end. And there he slowed.

He hesitated twice before finding the section he wanted, then backed up. Once he was happy, he turned around to face Ronon, who was still sitting on the stool, arms crossed and face expressionless, staring at his own image on the screen.

John stepped in front of the computer, blocking Ronon's view. Ronon looked up.

"She took every other shift. For every one of us that sat with you, she relieved that person."

"Why?"

John glanced over his shoulder. "I think Doc will explain it best herself…" Then he turned back to Ronon. "This will get both our hides tanned if she finds out I showed this to you. But if you just so happen to _remember_ some of it on your own…"

Ronon nodded. Once.

"I'll be in with Carson." John stepped away, leaving Ronon alone in the lab. "I'm going to have some 'splaining to do."

Ronon stared at the frozen image on the screen. He knew he'd been in bad shape. He'd even remembered pieces of it. But to see himself, so completely bedraggled, sweat-soaked, his eyes red-rimmed, it was uncomfortable to say the least.

The image was from above, showing most of his body, his wrists threaded tightly into restraints, his torso twisted while he bucked against the tie downs. Jennifer stood beside him, a white cloth in her hand which she was in the process of trying to place on his forehead, but apparently he wasn't having anything to do with it.

Ronon rolled slowly forward on the small metal stool, stopping when he reached the edge of the desk. His fingers hesitated only a moment before pushing the button, sending the image playing. He blinked at the ferocity of his own voice - screaming obscenities at her - hoarse and cracked from shouting. It was barely louder than a harsh whisper. He heard himself threatening her… threatening her children… her children's children… telling her he'd kill them all given the chance… he'd kill them all and would feel nothing but power to know they'd all died… that she needed to do it… to get it over with… to kill him before he got the chance. Kill him because he hated her. He hated them. He hated them all.

And with every punctuation she simply stood to the side, landing the cloth against his forehead and holding it there until he would shake it off.

Ronon couldn't see her expression because she stood with her back to the camera, but he could hear her voice. And while he alternated between threatening and begging… she talked over him, through him, around him, until all he heard through the pauses was her voice.

_Well I don't hate you. You can bluster all you want, mister. You don't scare me. I know it's not you talking. It's the drug, Ronon. You've had a rough time. I know you have. But it's not permanent. You've got to trust me.  You're going to be fine._

She moved around to stand behind him, dragging a stool behind her with her foot. She lowered herself onto the chair and he could see the video version of himself craning to see her. With her elbows propped up on the bed behind his head, her fingers moved to spots on his temples and he struggled against her, but she flexed her arms, moving her hands with his head, never breaking contact. All the while she kept talking. Just… talking. Everything coming out in a stream of chatter that was soft, yet firm.

_So.  Where was I?  Oh.  Right.  You know I don't think I'll ever get used to the differences between your galaxy and mine. You have the strangest customs. Yes, I know, Teyla's always saying we have odd customs… but you have your own oddities too, you know. Wraith aside and all. I mean, for one, you people have the strangest concept of personal safety._

_On Earth, when people we love are threatened, the first thing we do to protect them is push them away. Shove 'em out the door. Make sure we do everything we can to get them to go as far away from us as possible._

_You're sounding awfully Earth like right now because I know you don't mean a word of this._

_It's interesting don't you think? Teyla's here with Torren, and I swear every time I see them together I can't help but think we should be finding somewhere safe for him to be. Anywhere but here. You'd say it would be wrong to send him away from his mother, wouldn't you? _

_On Earth, if a mother was in trouble, being chased after by a freak like Michael… she'd never take her child with her… she'd send him to the far corners of the planet! Anywhere but where she was currently. She'd send that child as far away from her as possible… just to keep him safe. But here… here it's the exact opposite. You don't push people away. You pull them closer somehow. Teyla keeps Torren with her. She knows exactly where he is every moment of the day. She knows that the safest place for him is with her. Protected by her. Because who could possibly love him enough to protect him like she can? Who would do anything to protect him if not his own mother? The safest place he could possibly ever be, is here, with her. _

Her hands had moved now… down to his neck, where she was massaging the muscles that ran up along the bones at the base of his neck.  Ronon was amazed to see that his video self had actually almost stopped fighting.  The occasional buck and growl, but less movement than before…

_There's the crazy Earth saying… Goes something like… If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to begin with. Like that's supposed to make sense. But it sums up us Earth folk pretty well, don't you think? If you love something, set it free… Bullshit, if you ask me._

Then she laughed, her fingers moving now down towards his shoulders. Her arms were stretched the length of his head and he wasn't moving. Ronon saw himself just laying there like a hypnotized idiot, eyes closed while she rotated her fingers across the muscles of his shoulders.  Her chin hung practically over his forehead while she continued to talk.

_Bullshit. Every time I hear anyone say that word I think of Gladys Rose. Oh Ronon, you'd have liked her. She was a riot. Amazing old woman. Probably genetically related to you somehow. I was doing my residency and she'd come in because she had a stroke, and she was diabetic. Every time she came in, we'd tell her… Gladys - maybe you should think of moving into some kind of full-term care. And you know what she'd say? Bullshit. _

_Then she'd climb up out of the bed. In her seventies, and she'd just hop out of the bed, get herself dressed, pick up her purse, check her hair in the mirror, and waltz right out of that hospital with her granddaughter, grandson, niece, nephew, son, daughter, whoever… in tow. Three months later and she'd be back again. Two days after being admitted… Gladys, maybe THIS time you should think about palliative care. Bullshit, she say… and right up out of bed again. _

_I swear Ronon, the woman lived another 10 years. Bullshit… ha! What was interesting was that no matter how long she was in that hospital room, her family was there. They were right there, every day, every hour. And they were talking up a storm. Laughing, chattering, telling stories. They never left her alone, and they never stopped talking. And they use to talk right to her too, even when she was out of it. Grandma remember when… Grandma did you know… Grandma so-and-so said…   Then she'd wake up, tell us our request to keep her was bullshit, and pack up and leave.  _

_There was this woman… Mary. Her husband had been in a really bad accident, and was in a coma. She came, every day to sit beside his bed. Morning 'till night she was there. Knitting, reading, watching TV… anything to keep busy while she waited for him to wake up. Day after day she sat there. Day after day she waited._

_She lost her job eventually. Sold her house to keep paying the bills. Moved into a tiny apartment near the hospital. For months she sat there… months. And then one day… he died. He just died. She was… devastated. I don't think I've been harder hit by a family member before. Usually it's the loss of the patient, but in this case… Mary nearly broke all our hearts. She told me after the funeral the worst part was that she'd never got a chance to say goodbye. I mean, she sat there, hundreds of hours, and never once talked to him. She never once told him she was there. She sat there… day after day after day and never once said his name.  We tried to get her to talk to him...  but she couldn't do it.  I sometimes wonder if he knew she was even there at all. Could he have heard her? Studies say so. Not every doctor believes it… but I do. I sometimes wonder… if he'd known she was there… would he have fought harder? Would he have lived? Would it have mattered? It's just one of those unanswered questions, you know?_

Video Jennifer straightened, yawning widely into her shoulder, and turned to face the door which was off camera. "Hey." She smiled softly, standing with a stretch. Her voice was dry and scratchy from constant use.

Rodney walked into the frame and Jennifer pushed the stool to the side.

"I'm your relief." Rodney announced with a smile.

Jennifer nodded, her hand clasping McKay's arm before moving off camera. "Thanks Rodney. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

"You don't have to take every shift you know." Rodney had turned away from the camera.

Jennifer reappeared. "It's okay Rodney. I like talking to him. And… well… I know no one else believes me."

Rodney looked away.

"He _can_ hear you." She said strongly, her tired voice cracking.

"If you say so."

"I do." She started away then turned back. "Promise me."

"I promise." Rodney nodded, flopping down into the seat, his tablet balanced on his knees.

"He's in there, Rodney." She said softly, stopping next to the gurney and Ronon's sleeping form. "We need to make sure he knows he's not alone." Then she turned towards Rodney, her eyes narrowed. "He can hear you, so be kind."

"Who, me?" Rodney snorted.

Jennifer patted his shoulder. "See you in a few."

And with that she disappeared from view, and Rodney's voice began with detailed descriptions of something Zelenka had nearly blown up, exasperation at having to fill out requisition forms, and emails that were recited word for word.

Ronon paused the video, then backed it up, playing through the segment again. He watched himself. He watched her. He listened to the chatter, the voice, the words.

And when he was done, he turned off the computer and stood, leaving the lab alone to its silence.


	19. Chapter 19

_Author's Notes:    FF seems to be having issues, so I haven't been able to reply to all the reviews. If I missed you, thank you for your comments and I hope you enjoy the rest of the tale. :P   From the previous chapter, Gladys Rose was my grandma, and that story is taken directly from her life.  Ronon would have liked her, I think! :) - Nika_

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"Look," John stuck his hands into his pockets. "You said it yourself. We're out of time."

"Aye." Carson nodded, his eyes moving from Jennifer to the readout on the EEG. "And I'd have to say, Colonel, you have a valid point. But in your case you were given a mild dose. Dr. Keller hasn't had that luxury."

"We need to do _something_."

"Aye, that we do." Carson sighed. "And at this point I too would be willing to try just about anything. But if it doesn't work…"

"Can you give her a high enough dose to wake her up?" John asked.

Carson sighed, his eyes worried. "Aye."

"There's a _but _in there, isn't there."

Carson nodded. "But... a dose this high could do more damage than good, I'm afraid."

Marie stepped forward, her hand on Carson's arm. "She'd want you to do it."

"That she would." Carson nodded, his voice quiet.

John turned towards their CMO, lying so still on the gurney beneath the scanner, draped in blankets as pale as her skin. "We need to try."

When the door beeped open, John and Carson turned to face Ronon, who'd stepped into the room.

"So big man." Carson turned towards Ronon, who was staring at the neon yellow outline of Jennifer's virus. "You ready to give this plan of yours a try?"

"No." Ronon looked directly at the doctor.

Carson patted him on the shoulder and turned towards Marie, who was holding an auto-injector.

"It's time." She nodded gravely.

John glanced quickly at Ronon. "You want me to stay?"

Ronon shook his head and reached for a stool, and planted himself near the head of the gurney. He avoided looking up at the window and the pairs of eyes he knew were boring into his back. He didn't really care what they thought… as long as this worked.

John stepped back slowly, then turned when he reached the doors. "I'll be upstairs."  He left quickly, the doors sliding quietly closed behind him.

Carson stepped forward, coming up to the other side of the bed. "This is going to give her a wee bit of a shock." He announced, looking directly at Ronon. "Until we can clear this bugger out, she's going to be in a lot of pain, but we can't give her anything. I just wanted to… well… warn ya'."

Ronon nodded.

Within moments of Carson placing the injector next to Jennifer's neck, she bucked, twisting in the bed. Carson and Marie moved forward, each grabbing for a kicking limb. With her eyes wide Jennifer inhaled with a startling gasp. She struggled against Carson's hold, her right arm twisting free. Ronon grabbed her wrist and held tightly, while Marie fought with her legs.

"Easy there Dr. Keller." Carson soothed, pressing her left arm to the bed. His eyes moved to the monitors behind him. "You're safe, lass. Everything is going to be fine. Just fine. As soon as we rid ya of this maniacal little monster."

Jennifer whimpered and closed her eyes, her struggles abating.

"Eyes open, Doc." Ronon growled.

She writhed under the blankets, an anguished groan escaping from deep in her throat when she tried to look around. She blinked twice then squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

"Turn the lights down." Carson ordered, sending one of the nurses scrambling for the door controls.

In the glow of the monitors, Ronon wrapped his left arm around her head, hooking his fingers under her chin and cupping her cheek. He tilted her head to the side, directing her towards the monitors. Keeping her right hand firmly gripped in his, he leaned down. With one eye on the scanner outline, which was flaring with agitated yellow dots, he spoke firmly into her ear.

"Bullshit, Jennifer."

He felt her twisting as she tried to turn her head towards him, but he didn't release her chin.

"You heard me." He repeated, watching the wavy lines on left monitor shake then still again. "Bullshit. This is complete bullshit. I know you can hear me. You need to open your eyes and look at that monitor, Jennifer."

Carson nodded encouragingly, his eyes moving from Jennifer's fact to the monitors over his shoulder. "Keep going, lad."

Jennifer whimpered and wriggled, weakly trying to extract her arms from Carson and Ronon's tight grip.

"You want to talk about all the bullshit that's going on? This isn't Earth, Jennifer. Your rules don't work here." Ronon stared at the monitor, the squiggle jumping again. "Or how about old woman who wouldn't listen? No matter what they tried to tell her was wrong? Do you remember Jennifer? Do you remember what you told me?"

Ronon felt a slight, jerky pressure against his palm as she tried to nod. The motion on the monitor increased sharply then quieted again. "Remember what she used to tell you when you tried to get her to stay?  Bullshit."

Another jerk on the monitor.

"Remember what you told me about Mary? All that time spent sitting there, never saying anything? Well _I'm_ saying something Jennifer. You have a room full of Marys waiting here. A city full of Marys. Do you understand?"

Ronon felt the tiny drip land against his left thumb, which lay tightly against her cheek. It dripped and trailed down onto the back of his hand, quickly followed by a second, then a third. "Open your eyes and look at the monitor, Jennifer. I know it hurts, but you have to work through the pain. You have to trust me.  Look at the monitor."

He looked at Carson for confirmation that her eyes were open.

Carson nodded, leaning closer, and pointing to the body outline that sparkled with yellow. "Jennifer. You've been infected by a nasty little Ancient virus that's feeds off electrochemical energy. Primarily delta waves. The only cure is for your brain to generate enough beta waves to destroy them. Do ya' understand, lass? Beta waves? We need ya' to think. Use that genius we know you have in there. Can ya' do that?"

Ronon felt her lips move against the side of his index finger. He looked up at Carson, who was watching her face.

"Talk?" Carson asked, his mouth registering the beginnings of a smile. He released her arm and straightened. "I believe the lass is ordering you to keep talking, lad."

Marie grinned.

Ronon felt Jennifer's head move as she tried to nod.

Everyone stared at the second monitor, and the EEG readings which were slowly increasing.

It was working.

So Ronon talked.

He told her stories from Sateda. Stories from the war. Stories from his years as a runner. Tales that he knew would normally cause her to shake her head and tisk at his recklessness. He asked her questions she couldn't answer, asked opinions she couldn't give, quizzed her on Earth customs that still confused him. She would give a nod, or shake her head with a slight twitch to answer, since her voice barely worked. He talked against her ear while they all watched the scanner outline, the yellow dots losing their battle as they slowly flickered and died.  For close to thirty minutes, Ronon talked.

When the last of the dots finally flickered and disappeared, Carson waited a few more minutes to be sure. When he finally nodded, Ronon straightened slowly, sliding his arm out from around her head. He sat back, and she rolled her head towards him. Her eyes were bloodshot, tracks from her tears still showing on her pale skin.

He stood slowly, lowering her hand to the bed. He pulled away, feeling the weak twitch in her fingers as she tried to hold on. He hesitated when she mouthed his name, her voice barely a scratch.

He leaned closer, her fingers tensing in his as she gripped with what little strength she had.

"Bullshit." She whispered, her voice raw and cracking.

He felt himself smile as he straightened, but when he looked down, her eyes were closed. His grin faltered when her hand relaxed and dropped. He glanced at the monitor behind her, but the yellow dots were completely non-existent.

"Easy, lad." Carson grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "She's had a hell of a time. Bloody exhausted, she is. But she's free and clear now. Few days of rest and she'll be back to orderin' ya' about like a wee bairn."

Ronon snorted and released her hand, laying it gently across her stomach. He glanced over at Marie who was issuing orders to the two nurses to have Jennifer moved to a private room where she could recover.

When he turned to leave, Ronon chanced a look at the second floor, and the relieved faces pressed to the glass above. Rodney and Teyla were doing a half hug, half dance, while Evan was grinning at them.   Richard Woolsey smiled, nodding to both Ronon and Carson in turn, while John leaned against the railing, his shoulders slack with relief, his face reflecting the same.

"Bullshit." Sheppard mouthed, and this time Ronon kept the grin as he let the doors slide closed behind him.


	20. Chapter 20

Jen sat on the end of the bed, staring at the blue terry robe lying across the chair on the other side of the room.

Damn that was far.

She sighed then cursed for the umpteenth time.

She felt about as strong as a piece of wet paper towel right now. Oh she appeared to be well enough… medically speaking. The virus was gone - she had no traces of it in her system. It was just that she could barely move without getting one of those annoying, you-just-spent-four-days-half-dead wobbles in her muscles.

Embarrassing enough that she even had to get help to go to the bathroom, and when she'd insisted on doing it herself, she'd gotten stuck and unable to get herself up off the toilet. She'd managed to wriggle her pants back up, inch by inch, cheek by cheek, but couldn't talk her legs into standing, or convince her arms they could yank her up by the towel rack. So she'd sat there, on the toilet, fully clothed, for twenty minutes before Marie came by.

And promptly swore her to secrecy because she was too stubborn to call for help.

She sighed into the empty room.

And now?

Jen looked around the windowless walls.

Now she wanted out.

Out of this room.

Out of the infirmary.

Out of this blasted building.

She just wanted… air.

Inhaling deeply, she held her breath and slid off the bed, gripping the cold railing so tightly it made her knuckles hurt. Her legs wobbled and she locked her knees, begging them to hold. She stared down at her bare toes which tried to grip the cold tile floor. Useless, but a valid attempt none the less.

She exhaled slowly when her knees actually held. Sliding her right foot forward, she inched towards the robe, slowly releasing the railing behind her. One step. Two steps. Three.

Yay!

On the forth step she reached for the robe and her traitorous knees buckled, sending her down onto her right hip with a groan. Oh, that was going to leave a mark. She sighed. Well, at least she made it to the robe. Grabbing the edge of the blue terry material, she yanked it off the chair and dragged it over her lap.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Jen squeaked with surprise, and glanced over her shoulder, blushing as Evan strode quickly into the room.

"Going for a walk." She muttered, wriggling her arm through one of the sleeves.

He squatted beside her and held the other sleeve so she could push her arm through. "On the floor?"

"Gotta start somewhere." She shrugged, adjusting the material across her shoulders and tying the belt loosely around her waist. She leaned forward, reaching for the socks that were on the floor under the chair.

Evan grabbed them first and held them out of her reach.

She frowned. "Gimme."

"Are you _supposed_ to be out of bed?"

"Yes."

He raised an eyebrow.

"No."

He frowned.

"Evan…" Jen glanced around at the bare walls before turning towards him. "I just… need to get out of this room. I can't… I want to get some air. Please?"

Evan sighed. "You'd just try it again if I made you get back into bed, wouldn't you."

"Yep."

He handed her the socks and shrugged. "Suppose it's not like you're going to get far anyway."

"Oh, ha, ha." She mumbled, snatching the socks. She dropped one onto her lap and grabbed the cuff of her pants, yanking her foot close enough so she could put the sock on without cooperation from her week legs.

Evan made a noise somewhere between a tisk and a disgusted snort and took the sock away, wrigling it up over her left foot. He picked up the second sock and slipped it onto her right. "I swear you're more stubborn than my niece."

She grinned up at him. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you're such a sucker for a damsel in distress."

"Admitting you're in distress?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Never." She snorted. "Now help me up."

Evan hooked his hands under her upper arms and pulled her slowly to her feet. Standing directly in front of her, he released her carefully, grabbing for her again when she wobbled. Her hands landed against his shoulder and she shook her head disgustedly, her face flushing a deep crimson.

"God, this is so embarrassing." She muttered, rubbing her forehead while she eyed the door longingly. "I'm sorry. I just… wanted… oh hell… never mind." She turned towards the bed.

Evan slipped his arm around her waist and when she turned towards him, he squatted and hooked his arms under her knees, scooping her up.

"Evan!" She exclaimed, as he carried her towards the door. "What are you doing?! Don't you aggravate your ribs."

"It's been almost a week, Jen." Evan reminded her as they stepped out of her room. "Bruised, not broken."

"I'm too heavy. Put me down, right now." She ordered firmly.

"Too heavy." He snorted. "I've run drills with heaver packs."

"There's an insult in there somewhere…" She muttered, shaking her head at him.

He grinned, and turned into the main corridor.

Jen buried her head against his shoulders, hiding her heated face, as they passed several Marines and a gaggle of snickering nurses. "They have wheelchairs, you know." She mumbled against his shoulder.

"You want me to push you around in a wheelchair?"

"God, no."

"Didn't think so."

Evan moved down one of the side corridors and Jen raised her head when the light changed. Cool air moved her hair and she turned to look out through the open balcony doors at the bright, blue sky.

She gasped with surprise. "Evan…"

He stepped onto the balcony and turned towards the small crowd that was sprawled out in various poses across the collection of patio furniture. A chorus of greetings echoed as Evan lowered her into a lawn chair tucked back in the corner, her lower body warmly centered in the afternoon sunshine. Teyla, John, Ronon, Rodney, Richard, Evan, Carson and Laura all met her with happy smiles.

Jen started to laugh, her own smile buried beneath the heated flush that was still stinking her cheeks.

"Doctor." Richard Woolsey nodded, handing Jen a glass of what looked like tomato juice. "Nice of you to agree to join us."

Jen smiled and eyed Evan, toasting him with her juice. "Didn't have much choice."

Evan shrugged and dropped onto a chair between Carson and Teyla, digging a beer out of the cooler on the floor at his feet. He twisted the cap off and saluted Jen with the bottle. "Here's to fresh air."

Jen laughed, then turned towards the others.

Ronon and Rodney were both giving Evan the evil eye.

She frowned. "What's with you two?"

"They're just mad because Evan won." Laura snorted.

"Won what?" Jen turned towards John.

"He got to rescue you." Laura pretended to whisper, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

"Rescue." Rodney made a face and scowled, looking to Ronon for support. "That wasn't a rescue. All he did was bring her from her room. Hell I could have done-ow!" He glared at Ronon, who'd jabbed him in the ribs.

"He won. A bet's a bet." Ronon grumbled.

"Yeah but he won the pool, too. " Rodney whined. "Why does he also get to win the… the…"

"Jail break?" Laura completed with a snarky grin.

"Wait." Jen stared at Rodney. "_You_ bet against me?"

"I… Me? No. Well… okay... maybe... Alright, yes. Funny thing about that…" Rodney stammered.

"And you, too?" She raised an eyebrow towards Ronon.

Ronon shrugged.

"Betting?" Richard looked around at the group. "There's a betting pool?" He frowned, but everyone ignored him.

"Lemme guess." Jen pursed her lips at Rodney. "You picked… What was it? Geographical catastrophe?"

"Geo-_logical_… actually." Rodney muttered. "It was a valid option."

"Zombies?" Jen looked at Ronon, who just grinned.

"Zombies." Laura held up her hand, as did Carson, and Teyla.

"So only Evan picked Wraith attack?" Jen glanced around.

"Oh come on. It was too easy." John let out a disgusted snort. "Zombies were a much better option."

Jen snorted and glanced at Evan. "Okay, technically? Michael's not all Wraith anymore, and he didn't attack… but…" She inhaled dramatically. "I guess I'll have to give it to you anyway. You did save me from drowning."

"Yeah…" John frowned, turning to Evan. "Speaking of... Use enough C4? That hole was big enough to swim laps across."

Evan fought a grin. "No idea what you're talking about, Sir."

"What betting pool?" Richard interrupted, a little louder this time.

"Dr. Keller's off-world missions." John nodded, and Teyla wacked him across the shoulder. "What?" He frowned at her. She angled her head towards Richard and raised her eyebrows.

"You're _betting_ on Dr. Keller's missions?" Richard glanced from John, to Evan, who's smile disappeared as he concentrated on drinking his beer.

Laura laughed and clapped her hands together.

"What kind of... bets?" Richard persisted, looking around.

"Mission irregularities?" Rodney suggested, looking everywhere but at Richard.

"Irregularities." Woolsey frowned, turning back towards John. "What kind of irregularities are… zombies?"

"No idea what you're talking about, Sir." John echoed Evan and to look innocent.

"Who's betting." Richard glanced around, his eyes honing in on Rodney, who was examining his fingernails.

"Och, most of the city I assume." Carson nodded eagerly.

"Most of the…" Richard stopped, then turned around to face Carson. "Why?"

"Why not?" Ronon shrugged.

"I… well… because… because…" Richard clamped his mouth shut when Jen laughed. "This doesn't bother you?" He turned towards her, his expression incredulous.

"It's fine, Mr. Woolsey." Jen grinned. "I've often said we should offer more… recreational activities."

Richard blinked. "Recreational?"

Jen shrugged. "You asked."

"I did, didn't I." He shook his head. "Very well then." He raised his glass. "A toast. To Dr. Keller's... recreational activities."

Jen felt her face heating when John snorted and wiggled his eyebrows at her. Teyla backhanded him across the chest again and Jen nodded her thanks.

"What?" Woolsey frowned. "What did I say?"

"Nothing." John snickered, raising his drink. "Nothing at all. To Keller's recreational activities." He toasted.

Jen didn't immediately move, her eyes shifting to Ronon, who was watching her intently. She couldn't stop the smile as she raised her glass towards him.

"Bullshit." She said softly.

His smile started slowly, then broke into a full grin as he tipped his head back and laughed.

"Bullshit." He repeated, raising his beer in salute.

In a circle of confused looks and shrugs, the drinks were emptied to a chorus of _bullshit_.

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THE END

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_Author's Note - I hoped you liked this little daliance into um... well, something! I had a lot of fun writing this one, and GLENN (the evil plot bunnies who insist on being called the Great Lop Ears of North Nagook) have already threatened me with the next round so stay tuned for something else quite soon to tie you over until the next episode! :P Until then, hugs and kisses! - Nika_


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